


The Silver Dragon

by firesign10



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Explicit Sexual Content, Homophobia, Karate, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Profanity, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 08:15:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firesign10/pseuds/firesign10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared Padalecki and Chad Michael Murray attend a karate after-school program at their junior high. It's challenging but totally fun, so when it ends after a few weeks, they sign up at the local dojo. The dojo is even more fun, especially for Jared when he falls for a gorgeous older teen who helps out there . . .</p><p>Six years later, Jared returns to Austin to attend college and rekindles some old friendships. He even decides to check out karate and the dojo again . . . as well as the handsome, green-eyed sensei who runs it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the LJ comm spn_j2_bigbang and its mods for holding this challenge; thanks to the support comm omgspnbigbang; to rose_malmaison, my beta; to blondebitz, my artist; to roxymissrose for feedback and morale support. Read more of these notes and see the art at http://firesign10.livejournal.com/1096003.html.

(2008)  
Jared Padalecki was thirteen when he discovered his first great love – karate. It was at the dojo that Jared encountered his second great love - Jensen Ackles.

At the time, he didn't realize the impact they would have on his life. Sometimes when those big, life-changing moments happen, the outward ripples spread until everything around you is affected, but their true significance isn't fully realized until later. Perspective requires time and the deeper appreciation that comes with it . . . but time can be hard to come by amidst the hubbub of everyday life. If you're an adult, you have a family, bills, a house, a job. If you're a teenager, you have classes, papers and tests, school or church activities, friends. And maybe one day at school, you walk down a hallway to a new activity. You walk through a doorway. It's an ordinary doorway; you've walked through it hundreds of times before, but this time? This time is different. You're different, and you don't even know it yet. So you just casually walk on through, and your life will never be the same again.

Jensen Ackles was seventeen when Jared first saw him, and Jared thought he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes on. Up until that point, Jared hadn't given any real thought about his sexuality. At thirteen, he'd pretty much just discovered what his dick could do. After seeing Jensen that day, Jared went home and found himself wrestling with a major woody and aching balls. He'd rubbed one out before, but simply from feeling horny, or maybe because there was a stiff breeze. This was the first time he jerked off with an image clear in his mind – the face of a specific young man. As his hand slid up and down his cock, as his balls tightened in preparation to climax, Jared's mind was filled with the vivid picture of Jensen Ackles. As that image of Jensen's face turned toward Jared and lit up with a brilliant smile, Jared bucked and came with a shout, lights flashing behind his eyelids, shooting so hard he almost fell off his chair.

 ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

(2014)  
The morning sun streamed into Jared's bedroom with the force of a bulldozer, slamming into him and rousting him from his dreams. He groaned as he rolled over, but he was unable to evade the light pushing into his apartment. Swinging his legs to the floor, he sat on the bed and rubbed his hands over his face. His body was sore from loading and unloading boxes as well as driving from Sacramento to Austin. He'd arrived yesterday around five, and the evening had been spent with said boxes, a pizza, and a bed with a sheet thrown over it.

Jared vowed to find curtains today before bedtime, as this was a wake-up call he didn't care for at all. In the meantime, he had a full day ahead. He had to start unpacking; determine what he still needed for his apartment (he added curtains to his mental list) and shop for it; and check in with the University of Texas admission office to make sure he was all set to start classes next week. First on the docket: getting cleaned up and finding some breakfast. And coffee. Lots of coffee. He added a coffeemaker to his list as well.

The Roadhouse Diner at the plaza a couple of blocks away took care of his food and coffee needs. Jared could see he'd be eating here a lot, if the rest of their food were as delicious as their breakfasts. He made a mental note to come back and walk around the rest of the plaza, see what else was there, since it was so convenient to his apartment. He'd already noticed a dry cleaner at one end, and there was a liquor store right next to the diner itself. Leaving his payment on the table with the bill, Jared stepped outside, feeling comfortably fed and at peace with life.

Life right now meant moving back to Texas after spending six years in California. Sacramento had been good to the Padalecki family. Jared's mom Sherri had moved them all to Sacramento so that she could accept a terrific job offer. Her stature in her profession gradually rose as she designed and implemented a gifted program that was now being cited as a benchmark in the field. Jared's older brother Jeff had graduated from college and was now enrolled in med school. Younger sister Meghan had made scads of new friends and was entering high school, busy with a flurry of activities. And Jared himself had done well in his high school years, making many friends along the way. His first growth spurt hit during freshman year, and the most recent had just finished last year, topping him out at 6' 4". His ever-increasing height and size had made him highly desirable to the coaches at Robert Singer Charter High, and Jared played soccer, baseball, and - of course - basketball every year. Being a jock was instant cachet, so he'd had a full social life too.

Jared hadn't really dated much, though. He'd gone out with a few cheerleaders briefly, mostly from a sense of obligation. That's what jocks did - they dated cheerleaders, just like the rest of his jock friends did. But it didn't matter how pretty, fun, or forward the girls turned out to be - Jared found himself uninterested. There'd been some kissing, and that was all right, he enjoyed that. But as soon as he tried touching their curvy bodies, the breasts straining underneath pretty bras or hips and butts swelling in tight jeans, Little Jared fumbled the play. Shortly thereafter, that girl would stop hearing from Jared.

What did wake Little Jared up, apparently, was watching the guys scrimmaging on the field, or in the locker room as they changed after practice. Jared tried not to notice too much - he didn't want to perv on his teammates. But damn, all that skin, all those muscles; sweaty bodies running around in only a jock strap or towel, or even nothing at all. Jared played it cool on the outside, laughing and joking around like it was no big deal. Inside was another matter. Inside he ached. His hands itched to squeeze those masculine muscles, glide over that sweaty skin. He craved feeling a fat, hard dick against his palm, ready for him to stroke, or a firm ass cheek to grab. Jared learned to control his erections to the best of his ability, and to hide them when his best wasn't strong enough.

Jared wasn't stupid. It didn't take long for him to recognize the truth about himself. He was turned on by men, not women. He was gay. He accepted it pretty calmly, realizing that it was just who he was. It still took him a while to come out to his mother. Sherri had always made sure that there were good lines of communication between her and her children, but this was such a big issue that Jared didn't rush to tell her. Eventually, he came to her, knowing that he had to tell her if he was going to be honest with himself. He blurted it out to her, gracelessly, and Sherri simply said, "Okay, honey. I'm glad you told me, and I hope you'll tell me if anyone ever gives you a hard time. I think you know that it doesn't matter to me at all, and that my only concern is your happiness and well being. I love you, baby." Jared smiled with relief - he really hadn't anticipated she would react badly, but a tiny, worrying voice had been nagging in the back of his head anyway. Now, it was gone.

He decided not to come out at school. Jared was solidly entrenched in the jock world, and he really didn't know how his teammates would take his orientation. He decided he would rather wait and come out after high school was behind him, when labels like 'jock' and 'queer' maybe didn't matter quite so much. He stopped the fruitless dating attempts, studied hard, played harder. When his name was called on graduation day, his family and friends applauded and cheered as Jared walked across the stage, waving his diploma and pumping his fist in the air.

Three days later, Jared publicly referred to himself as gay for the first time. The sense of freedom was enormous.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

 

(2014)  
Jared drove into the visitor parking lot for UT Austin. He had decided over breakfast to take care of the college check-in first, and then address his household needs. So here he was, walking through the double doors on the way to administration, a zippered folio with his records in his hand. He'd sent them electronically, but it didn't hurt to have the hard copies just in case. Pushing open the office door, he went to the counter and waited his turn. As Jared stepped up, the petite brunette handling the student inquiry line was turned away from him. "Yes, can I help you?" she asked, still with her back to Jared as she fiddled with some folders.

"Yes, please, I'm transferring here from Sacramento, and I'm starting classes next week. I just wanted to check that my paperwork and financial aid is all squared away." Jared said, putting his folio on the counter and unzipping it. "I have paper copies of my records here in case there was any problems with the electronic delivery."

"Name, please?" The brunette was rifling through a stack of files on her desk.

"Jared Padalecki."

"What??" The brunette whirled around. When she saw Jared, she screamed, "Oh my God!" and ducked through the counter opening next to Jared. Jared found himself catching an armful of fast-moving girl as she threw herself at him, barking a kiai* and jumping onto him where she hung on him like a limpet. "Jared!! Holy cow, I can't believe it's you!" She started thumping his back as she hugged him. "God, it's been years since junior high and karate class! Remember the first classes we had in the gym with Mr. Morgan? Hai!" She jumped down from Jared and gave another kiai, whipping out a couple of very high roundhouse kicks.

"Um, excuse me?" Jared stuttered, somewhat confused as to who this little dynamo was. "Who are - Sandy?" Sure enough, it was Sandy McCoy, his old friend from school and a former fellow karate student. "Wow, Sandy! How the heck are you?" He shook his head. "Yeah, that seems so long ago, but damn if I can't still hear the kiais ringing off the bleachers!"

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

 

(2008)  
Jared was excited - and maybe just a little nervous - as he and Chad walked to the gym at Kim Manners Junior High. They were going to their first karate class, and Jared felt like he had been waiting far longer than a few weeks for it to arrive. When a new after-school karate program had been announced last month, both boys had eagerly signed up. "We'll be the next Bruce Lee!" said Jared, punching Chad in the shoulder. Jared's curly, dark brown hair bounced as he practically skipped down the hallway, his wide smile accentuating the slight, foxy tilt to his eyes.

"I'll be Jackie Chan!" retorted Chad. "This is gonna be so far out! Watch me score big with the lay-dees after we get all sexy and dangerous!" He began swinging his arms around, gesturing stiffly with rigid hands. He narrowed his blue eyes, squinting through his blond, spiky hair as he pursed his lips like a fashion model.

Jared snorted disdainfully. "Dude! Knock it off! You're gonna be lame and dateless if you keep this shit up!" Jared laughed at his best friend. "I'm sure it's gonna be cool, but you're not going to be James Bond overnight! Right now, you just look constipated!" He stuck his tongue out at Chad's posturing. He and Chad had been best friends since kindergarten, when Jared had consoled Chad after he'd been rebuffed by Sandy McCoy, dark-haired queen of the kindergarten. Part of that bond meant Jared could tell Chad when he was being an ass.

Chad growled indignantly and smacked Jared's arm. Jared lunged after him, chasing Chad down the hallway. Running and laughing, both boys were brought up short by a tall, imposing man at the doorway of the gym. He had dark hair, dark brown eyes, and a short salt-and-pepper beard, and his tall, muscular body was clothed in a white canvas jacket with several colorful patches on it and black track pants. A black cloth belt tied around his waist completed his outfit. The man smiled warmly at Jared and Chad, his friendly expression making them feel welcome immediately.

"Are you boys here for the karate class?" He beckoned them into the gym. "My name is Mr. Morgan, and I'm the instructor. Are you excited about your first karate lesson?" They both nodded eagerly. "Great! We'll start in just a few minutes, so why don't you put your things over to the side and take your shoes and socks off?" He shook their hands and turned to greet more students filing in.

"Man! He's built like a friggin' oak tree! I think I got bruised just running into him!" Chad hissed. "If that's what karate does for you, sign me up! I oughta get any babe I want, built like that!" Jared pretended to gag. "Eff you, Padalecki! You're gonna be an old geezer with only your right hand for company!" Chad snickered loudly. They started jostling at each other with their elbows, but were interrupted by Mr. Morgan, who was now standing in the center of the gym, addressing the students.

"Good afternoon! My name is Mr. Morgan, and I am your instructor. I'd like everyone to come out onto the floor and get into rows of four, facing me." The students shuffled out and arranged themselves. "Now that I have greeted you, I want you all to respond by saying "Good afternoon, sir!" to me. This is how you show me the same respect I just showed to you." He stood quietly, waiting.

Half a dozen scattered voices raggedly said "Good afternoon, Mr. Morgan".

"Clearly you didn't hear me, so I'll speak up." He raised his already deep, firm voice and called out loudly, "Good afternoon, class!"

Jared and Chad made sure to join in the salutation this time, their voices helping fill out a resounding chorus to Mr. Morgan.

"Thank you! That was much better! When class starts, the instructor will greet you and you will greet them back. This shows my respect to you, my students, and then your respect to me, your instructor. Respect is a very important aspect of karate.

Now, let's warm up with some exercises. Then we'll stretch, so that your muscles will be loose and ready to work on learning the karate moves. Does everyone understand?" The class answered "Yes, sir!" loudly.

Mr. Morgan smiled and said "Good job! Now, let's begin with twenty jumping jacks! Count every one out loud. Ready? Begin!"

The class flew by. Jared did the jumping jacks, the push-ups, and the sit-ups. He endured the ten minutes of stretches that made him feel like a total klutz. The students learned two punches, three kinds of kicks, and the horse stance. Jared quickly got over the embarrassment of performing the kiai - the "Hai!" that was yelled out after every kick and punch. By the time the hour was over, Jared was sweaty, a little sore, and a lot in love.

"Dude!" he hissed as he flopped down next to Chad, digging a water bottle out of his backpack. "That was awesome!"

Chad was panting. "I'm frickin' dead! Damn, how is that guy so old, and not even breaking a sweat?"

"Mr. Morgan's a professional, you ass. Of course, he can do this and not break a sweat! He's probably training on a way higher level than we are. He's a fucking black belt! And he's not really that old, either." Jared watched the instructor saying goodbye to some of the students and their parents. Just as Chad said, the man was not sweating or breathing heavily, unlike all the kids. "Man, I bet we're going to be sore tomorrow! When's the next class?"

"Friday," replied Chad sleepily. "Tuesdays and Fridays, an hour each time. Oh God, I'll never make it through the entire 4 weeks!" He moaned softly as he slumped down on the floor.

Jared poked at Chad with his foot. "Sure you will! I'll be next to you every step of the way. C'mon, my mom is probably already waiting for us in the parking lot!" He stuffed his feet into his shoes, tossing his socks into his backpack. Jumping to his feet, Jared grabbed his backpack in one hand and smacked Chad's stomach with the other. "Come on, you lazy bag of bones!" He pulled on Chad's limp arm until he finally sat up.

"Okay, okay. Lemme get my shoes and we're outta here." As soon as his shoes were on, Chad stood up with his own backpack in hand. The boys headed to the door, where Mr. Morgan was saying goodbye to everyone as they left.

"Well, boys, how did you like your first class?" Mr. Morgan looked at them expectantly.

"I loved it!" exclaimed Jared. "It was awesome!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," drawled Chad. "In spite of all that sweaty, exercise stuff."

Mr. Morgan threw his head back and laughed. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you liked it anyway. Sadly, we have to do the 'sweaty, exercise stuff' to get strong muscles, so that then we can do the cool karate stuff. You boys both did a great job today, so I hope you enjoy the 4-week session. If you still like it by the end, you can come visit the dojo and see if you'd like to continue lessons there."

Jared nodded eagerly. He already knew he'd like to do that. But right now, he had to get out to his mom's car before she got annoyed enough to come inside and look for him. "Thank you, sir! See you Friday!" He grabbed Chad's arm again and pulled the blond along as he ran to the exit, pausing when they got outside to look for his mother's station wagon.

Sherri Padalecki flashed her car lights at the boys when she saw them emerge from the building. They loped to the car, throwing their backpacks in the back of the wagon and tumbling into the back seat. "Well, how was it?" she asked. Jared knew that she was well aware of their eagerness to take this class, and she was undoubtedly curious to hear what their reaction was after an actual class.

"It was awesome! I loved it!" enthused Jared, flashing a big thumbs-up at her. Chad nodded agreement. "I can't wait for the next class already. And Mom! He said when we finish the program here, we can go check out the dojo if we want to continue! And I do! Want to continue, I mean! Can I, Mom?"

She laughed. Jared's enthusiasm was irrepressible and contagious. "One thing at a time, dear. Let's go ahead and do the school program first, and then we'll see where we stand, okay? Chad, do you agree with Jared? Was the class a hit?" She glanced in the rear view mirror to see his spiky-haired blond head in the back seat.

"Yes, ma'am! I liked it a lot. He made us sweat, but I still liked it anyway."

Sherri laughed again. Chad's more laid-back personality complemented Jared's bouncier one nicely. She still remembered when Chad had tried to sweet-talk Sandy McCoy into letting him kiss her cheek. Her vigorous refusal - and his subsequent black eye - had left a solitary Chad pouting during recess, until the softhearted Jared went to see if he was okay. They had bonded over candy and Pokemon cards, and that bond had strengthened quickly until it cemented them as best friends.

Despite Jared's fears that the week would never end, Friday came on schedule, and Tuesday after that, and so on. True to his word, Mr. Morgan started every class with the dreaded calisthenics and stretches before moving into the actual karate material. They practiced front, back, and thrust punches. They learned the four steps of kicking before practicing front, crescent, reverse crescent, and back kicks. At the beginning of each class and several times throughout it, Mr. Morgan commanded "attention!" where the students' arms shot straight down, followed by "salute!", arms snapping in front of the chest, hands clasped hand to fist. The instructor used cadence to end drills or refocus the class.

Jared loved every minute of it. He worked hard, challenged by the material and the effort of making his body obey. For him, it was the perfect combination of working as an individual and still being part of a unit. Mr. Morgan was tough but fair; he demanded respect at all times, but liberally encouraged and praised his hard-working students. Jared found himself working even harder just to make Mr. Morgan proud of him. His muscles were sore every day after class, but by the end of the month, Jared felt stronger all over. He could feel his coordination getting better and his balance improving. Chad was right next to him, working just as hard at every class. He was still making kooky Chad-type remarks, but his effort never let up. The boys talked it over between themselves and agreed that they wanted to continue together with lessons at the dojo, if their parents permitted it.

At the final class held at the school, friends and family of the students were invited to watch. The class was going to demonstrate the material they'd learned during the 4-week session. Jared and Chad were eager to show their progress - they were proud of the work they'd put into the class. Sherri was sitting on the bleachers with Meg, Jared's little sister. Chad's father sat nearby.

"Attention!" Snap.

"Salute!" Claps rang out as hands met fists, accompanied by a chorus of kiais.

"Bow to your instructor." Bow. "Bow to your family and friends." Bow. "Bow to each other." Bows in every direction. "Horse stance - go!" And they were off, Mr. Morgan putting them through their paces crisply, meting out praise as he commanded their actions.

Applause rang throughout the gym an hour later as the final bow was delivered. Nods and smiles indicated how pleased the parents were. Mr. Morgan had all the students sit on the floor as he addressed them one last time.

"You all came here a month ago, willing to try something new. You took that first class, and you made it through the rest of the session to arrive here. Today, I am going to award your white belts. The white belt is the belt of courage, because without courage, you would not have taken that first class. It is the first step on your path to becoming a black belt, if you choose to take it. As I call your name, please come up and receive your belt and return to your spot. When everyone has received their belt, we will all tie them on together and take a final bow."

One by one he called them up amid applause. Finally it was Chad's turn, and he came walking back, belt in hand, with an uncharacteristically shy grin on his face. Then it was Jared's turn, and he felt enormously proud as Mr. Morgan shook his hand and handed him his white belt. They waited until all the belts were awarded, standing as a group when Mr. Morgan directed them to tie their belts on. Jared looked out at his mom with a huge grin before executing a crisp cadence and bowing to Mr. Morgan. Jared felt so proud of his new belt, and he vowed to himself that it was only the beginning.

*kiai: {kee-aye} the yell or battle cry given as a martial artist concludes a move or a technique. Often shown as "hai" or "ai-yah", kiais are individual to a person.


	2. Chapter 2

(2014)  
"So tell me, mister!?" Sandy said, swatting Jared's chest. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"I'm transferring here from Sacramento Community College. Just got in last night. I thought I'd check that everything is in the system okay before classes start next week."

"You're going to be a student here? That's so great! I missed you, you know. You moved, and there were some emails and then - nothing." She looked down. "I know I shoulda kept in touch too, but things were busy here and I figured you were busy there, and - you know? But I am totally tickled that you're back! Wait 'til Chad hears!"

"Oh God, are you and Chad still friends? I can only imagine the shit he must have gotten into in high school!" Jared laughed, running a hand through his long hair. "I swear, he didn't have a lick of sense half the time!"

Sandy sobered. "Well, yes and yes. Chad and I are still friends. In fact," she cleared her throat, "um . . . he's my boyfriend." She grinned. "Really!"

Jared was sure amazement was written all over his face. "No kidding! Wow! Uh, how's that working out for you?" He didn't mean it as sarcastically as it sounded.

"Great, actually. He's kinda stupid sometimes, but overall he's a great boyfriend. And surprisingly hot in the rack," she said and winked at Jared.

"La la la!! I don't need to hear about y'all's sex life!" Jared moaned and put his hands over his ears.

Sandy laughed and pulled his hands down. "Okay, I'll give you a break for now! Let's get you all checked in and make sure your paperwork is in order. Then let's pick a time to get together and catch up more." 

"Okay, yeah! Sure thing. I'd love to see Chad too."

Sandy smiled again, her face sunny. "Damn, it's good to see you, Jared!"

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

It was just a couple of nights later that Jared went over to Sandy and Chad's apartment. Chad looked exactly the same, just larger and older. Same spiky blond hair, skinny frame, blue eyes in a perpetual squint. He hugged Jared tightly, hipster 'tude momentarily dropped at the return of his boyhood buddy. Jared held Chad just as tightly, the memories of so many shared classes, escapades, and everyday moments flooding over him and making tears start in his eyes. He sniffed as he pulled back and did the manly shoulder-punch thing as they both laughed somewhat shakily. Sandy beamed as she stood at Chad's side, and Jared hugged her again too.

Sandy and Chad's apartment was near the college, since they both attended there and Sandy worked there. She was taking business admin classes while Chad was in a communications/media track. Jared hadn't declared a major yet, so he was enrolled in various required classes. 

They ordered a couple of pizzas and ate as they lounged around on the typical collegiate second-hand furniture. As the eating wound down and the first wave of "remember when . . .?" cooled, Chad turned to Jared and asked, "So, dude, remember Ackles? Your epic crush from the dojo?"

Jared froze.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

(2008)  
"Come _on_ , Mom!"

Jared was half a storefront ahead of his mother, stopping to wait impatiently for her. She smiled as she caught up to him, ruffling his perpetually tousled hair, and he grinned back as he pulled the door to the dojo open. The door had _Silver Dragon Martial Arts_ stenciled on it, and the studio hours listed beneath that. The Padaleckis stepped into a single large space, much like a dance studio, with the front section set up as a lobby. Black plastic chairs were lined up along the wall, and a counter with a computer monitor on it ran across one-third of the space. Behind the counter was a wall with enormous windows and one wide-open doorway, allowing maximum visibility into the dojo floor. The lobby's light gray walls suggested a serene feeling, while the walls in the dojo itself were a more energetic rust color. The floor was large rectangular mats of a textured, dark brown material.

Mr. Morgan was teaching a class of kids around Jared's age, lecturing and demonstrating at the front of the room. He had the students begin practicing the movement as he walked among them to coach, praise, and correct. Two teenaged assistants did likewise, pausing to correct a limb here or encourage a student having difficulty. Jared watched, fascinated. He couldn't wait to be out there on the floor, learning and practicing the moves. 

Jared and Sherri waited until the class ended, watching the students finish up with cadence and then sit down to listen as Mr. Morgan went over announcements for the studio. When he was done, the students circled around Mr. Morgan to bump fists before then going to the back of the studio where the changing rooms were, or entering the lobby to meet up with their waiting parents. Sherri pulled Jared aside to give the students, most of who were changing their shoes, some room. Mr. Morgan had been talking with his two teenage assistants, but then he came out to the lobby, chatting with parents and joking with the kids. He came over to Sherri and Jared with a smile, shaking Sherri's hand and high-fiving Jared.

"Jared, it's great to see you here! Sherri, a pleasure. What can I do for you today?"

"Well, Mr. Morgan," Sherri began. 

"No, no! Jeff, please," Mr. Morgan interjected.

"Of course, Jeff. Ever since the school program ended, Jared's been absolutely obsessed with coming here to sign up for class. I'd like to find out more about what all that entails - you know, the fees, the uniform, class schedules. I've never seen him this enthusiastic about an athletic activity before, so naturally I'd like to encourage it. He loves his video games and computer so much, I'd be thrilled if we could balance that out with something of a more physical nature."

Jeff's face creased in a big grin. "Oh yes, we see that a lot. Technology is a wonderful thing, but not if it's the only thing. We definitely look to balance that out physically, but we also address their character at the same time. We teach concepts like fairness, teamwork, and confidence." Jeff looked at Jared, then turned back to Sherri. "We take that side of martial arts as seriously as we do the physical aspects. The kids who have been in our program do better in school and as young adults in society, because they learn both facets at the same time."

Sherri beamed. "Well, this really sounds terrific. Most sports are really just about the sport itself."

"Exactly. We want our kids to be more well-rounded. Now, lets see about getting a _gi_ * for you and look at what class you'll be going into, shall we?"

Jeff went over to the counter and rifled through some new white _gis_ stacked underneath it. "Here you go, this ought to fit fine. Any problem, let me know and we'll try another size. As far as a class, I think the one you just saw is a good choice. They are all beginning students like Jared, and in his age range. It meets twice a week - here's the dojo schedule. Let's go ahead and get started and I'll be happy to answer any other questions you have as they arise, okay?" Jeff shook hands with both Sherri and Jared. "Jared, it's a real pleasure to see you starting here. I think you and martial arts are going to be a really good match."

Jared smiled from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to begin.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Chad and Jared were both dressed in their white _gis_ and white belts, ready for their first class at the dojo. Neither boy could keep still as they waited excitedly for class to begin. They were bouncing lightly on their feet; the floor was some type of material that was firm, yet slightly resilient. Over a dozen other students - boys and girls alike - milled around, waiting for class to start. About half of them were white belts like he and Chad, but the others were a mix of yellow and orange belts. Jared recognized a couple of other kids from the after-school program, including Chad's romantic nemesis from kindergarten, Sandy McCoy. Her dark hair framed a pretty face, and even the twill _gi_ could not conceal her curvy form. She smiled at the boys with a little wave, and they waved back, slightly surprised at her recognition.

Mr. Morgan came out of the office, briskly instructing the assistants for today's class as he walked to the front of the dojo. The assistants were older teens, wearing white _gi_ pants and wrap-around jackets like Mr. Morgan's, with their jackets colored a deep purple. When they turned around, Jared saw the jackets had the students' last names embroidered in yellow thread on the back. The two assistants for Jared's class were Mr. Kane, who had piercing blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair neatly tied back in a ponytail, and Ms. Harris, a smiling, perky girl whose red hair was caught in a braid that rogue curls were busily escaping from.

"Attention! Salute!" barked Mr. Morgan.

"HAI!" Sounded the resounding response from the class.

"Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, SIR!"

Jared spent the next hour moving non-stop, kiai-ing and sweating, and he enjoyed every moment. Mr. Morgan continued the clear, encouraging instruction he'd used at the school - demonstrating moves, breaking them into steps, having the students drill for practice. The assistants - the Dragon Patrol, Jared learned they were called - served as demonstrators while Mr. Morgan talked, or else moved around helping students during the practice or drills. Mr. Kane looked rather like a tough guy with his face set in a stern expression, but he turned out to be very helpful, his hands deftly correcting errors in movement. Ms. Harris was bubbly and encouraging, prone to patting people on their shoulders as a sign of good work, rather like they were puppies. Both assistants were very good at karate, and Jared found himself wondering how one became part of the Dragon Patrol.

After class, Jared and Chad were changing shoes in the lobby along with several of the other students, when the front door opened. Students for the next class had already started lining up at the dojo floor entrance, so Jared simply assumed it was yet another one coming in. He looked up as he stuffed his foot into his Converse and froze. It was an older boy, 16 or 17, in a purple and white Dragon Patrol uniform. The boy stopped as he saw the crowd of students, taking a moment to look around. His face turned toward Jared, green eyes flashing as they passed over him. His hair was dark blond with lighter streaks, artfully gelled into spikes, and his fair skin was peppered with tiny caramel freckles. Jared was transfixed, his eyes trying desperately to catalog the freckles while noting the boy's full, pink lips at the same time. He'd never noticed any boy before as being particularly attractive before, but this boy hit him like a punch to the chest. Jared's fingers stopped moving on his shoelaces as he stared.

"Dude!" hissed Chad, digging an elbow into Jared's side. "What the hell, you're staring! At a _guy!_ "

Jared started, then exclaimed as the pain from Chad's elbow dig registered. "That _hurt_ , you turkey!" he hissed back. He looked around surreptitiously. No one appeared to be looking at him, causing Jared to sigh in relief. The blond Dragon Patrol boy was out on the main dojo floor now, ready for the next class. With shoes now on, Jared jumped up and grabbed Chad's arm, dragging him outside. 

Chad barely waited until they were outside before he was all over Jared. "What was that all about? Damn, Jared, you woulda thought the fucking Playmate of the Year walked in there. What was the big deal with that guy? That Dragon Patrol dude?" Chad studied Jared, who still looked unfocused. "Jared, what's going on?"

Jared felt excited and shivery all at once. His brain was shorting out and his skin tingled. He wasn't sure how to answer Chad - Jared didn't know what was going on himself. "I dunno," he said aloud. "I just - that guy came in and I - I just couldn't even _see_ anyone else. I can't describe it, Chad - he was so amazing. I don't even know how to put it into words." Jared stopped; the words were just burbling out of him, and they scared him because he didn't know where they were going to lead. Chad's face was just this side of shocked, but even as Jared looked at him, Chad shook himself and put on a resolute expression. He put a hand on Jared's shoulder and gripped it firmly.

"It's okay, Jared. Whatever you got going on in your freaky head? We'll figure it out, okay? Just like we figured out last week's algebra homework. Remember, I'm brilliant and you're not too dumb yourself. Besides, I'm your best friend." Chad grabbed Jared tightly in a one-armed hug, then released him and punched him in the arm. Jared yelped and smacked Chad back, and then they cracked up. Holding each other up as they staggered on the sidewalk, they laughed and laughed, causing passers-by to give them the stink-eye. It just made them laugh harder.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Every class after that, Jared didn't leave until the beautiful blond boy entered the dojo. Mr. Kane and Ms. Harris continued to assist during his own class, and the blond boy - Mr. Ackles, according to his jacket - assisted at the class that followed. Jared didn't dare ask anyone anything about Mr. Ackles, as he was too embarrassed about his crush. He didn't even admit to himself that it _was_ a crush; Jared had never been attracted to a boy before, much less actually _liking_ a boy, and he wasn't completely admitting that attraction to himself yet. He certainly didn't admit to himself that he'd jacked off with Mr. Ackles' face in mind. He simply watched like a hawk every time the class changed and Mr. Ackles came through the lobby, wondering what Mr. Ackles was like and daydreaming about talking with him. As a mere 13 year old who was in the beginning ranks, he didn't have the confidence to initiate a conversation with the older, higher ranked boy. An older, higher ranked boy that Jared may or may not be incredibly drawn to. Inside his head, Jared dreamed of starting that conversation all the time, his words far wittier and more interesting to dream-Mr. Ackles than could ever happen in real life. And if that dream-conversation led to some dream-kissing of those plump, pink lips that looked so deliciously candy-sweet, well - no one needed to know that either.

Time sped past with all the haste and fervor of an adolescent boy's appetite, the days busily spinning into weeks and then into months. School was what Jared did in between karate classes. Homework, tests, chores - all became opportunities for him to practice and utilize his three rules. Jared saw the results of his efforts in his mother's happy smiles when she got his next report card and surveyed his (mostly) tidy room. He and Chad worked out a couple of times a week outside of class, reviewing the latest new material from Mr. Morgan and practicing drills in Jared's basement.

Every three months, the students who were ready graduated to the next belt level. Jared was very proud as he collected his yellow belt, then his orange belt. It was gratifying to see the splash of color against his white _gi_. Secretly, Jared hoped to try out soon for the Dragon Patrol and wear a purple jacket. He knew he was a little young; he was in eighth grade, and Dragon Patrol members were usually in high school. He figured it couldn't hurt to ask Mr. Morgan about it anyway. The thought that maybe then he'd be able to talk to the gorgeous Mr. Ackles was stowed firmly away in the back of Jared's brain. 

When he was alone in his room, lying on his bed listening to his iPod, the thoughts of Mr. Ackles came out of hiding and roamed around in Jared's brain. Every week he observed some new detail about the older boy to dream about. Jared had already noticed the tiny freckles over Mr. Ackles' fair skin, but one time he walked right in front of Jared (and oh god, Jared had to force himself to look away, it was like staring into the sun) and he'd seen how those freckles were even sprinkled on Mr. Ackles' ears. His _ears_. If that didn't scream adorable, Jared didn't know what did. Another close pass garnered the knowledge that Mr. Ackles' lashes were unbelievably thick and curly, darkly framing his vibrant green eyes. Over a little time, Jared learned that Mr. Ackles' hands were unexpectedly elegant, sometimes he bit his full bottom lip when he was nervous, that his voice was slightly husky and totally sexy, and that his first name was Jensen.

Graduation was approaching again. This time, Jared would advance to his purple belt, moving out of the beginning class and becoming an intermediate student. Chad and Sandy were moving up right alongside him. Sandy turned out to be a great karate partner - she was every bit as unafraid and fierce as the boys were. One did not hold back when paired with Sandy, or she would express her annoyance by a well-placed smack. She was very funny; not as snarky or raunchy as Chad or goofy as Jared, but witty, slipping in dry comments and remarks that neatly skewered their subject and reduced the boys to gales of laughter. The three of them became tight at the dojo, and then began hanging out together at school as well. They sat together at lunch, often with some of Sandy's other friends like Genevieve, another brunette who could practically be Sandy's sister, and Adrienne, an athletic blond. They were all on the J.V. cheerleading squad.

Jared decided to ask Mr. Morgan about joining the Dragon Patrol immediately after the belt graduation. He figured that becoming an intermediate student would definitely help his case. He felt nervous about his request, but was determined to follow through with it.

Jared told Sandy about his plan over lunch. Chad was serving some disciplinary sentence, and the other girls were busy perusing a teen magazine. She agreed that it was definitely worth trying. "You're an awesome student there, Jared. I agree he might say you're too young still, but it can't hurt to ask and find out." He smiled at her in relief, feeling calmer now that she didn't think he was silly for trying. They hugged quickly before she headed off to her next class. Jared looked after her, watching her trim figure navigate the crowded hallway. He could still feel the impression of her body against his. He wondered why it didn't do anything for him, unlike his friends who were all starting to drool after girls. She was undeniably cute. Hot, even. And his adolescent dick, which now reacted strongly to any remotely sexual stimulus, didn't pay Sandy's tight little body a single bit of attention. Jared idly pondered if there was something wrong with him for a moment, or if maybe puberty was skipping over him, but then the bell rang and he had to run to get to Spanish on time.

The morning of the graduation day was busy at the Padalecki house. It was Saturday, and Jared's little sister Meg had an afternoon dance recital the next day. His older brother Jeff had a part-time job on the weekends, and he couldn't always chauffeur or run errands for Sherri like he used to. Jared noticed that his mother seemed tense lately, but he figured at least part of it was because of Jeff not being around to help her as much as he used to. Jared felt somewhat cowardly, but he was uneasy about asking his mom if everything was okay. Sherri had been a single parent for five years now, since Jared's dad Gerald died suddenly of an aneurysm, and Jared always tried to be quietly supportive when it seemed needed rather than ask possibly painful questions. He always worried that he'd bring up something best left alone.

When she snapped at him for the third time in a row, though, he felt question time had arrived. "Mom, is everything okay? Is it too crazy because of graduation and the recital on the same weekend? Can I do anything to help?" Jared asked. He tried to stand quietly instead of fidgeting, and give his mom time to answer.

Sherri ran a hand through her hair. "Oh, Jared, thank you, honey. It's not the recital, although I do need to pick up some pantyhose for your sister still. And it's not your graduation, so don't worry about that. I'm really looking forward to seeing you get your purple belt! You've worked so hard, and I'm so proud of you." She put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him to her, kissing him on the forehead. "It's just some other stupid, grown-up stuff. Stuff with my job." Sherri was a teacher specializing in gifted programs. She'd been at her current school since shortly after Gerald's death, and had been very happy there.

"What's happening with your job, Mom?" Jared couldn't help a pang of fear shooting through him. The weight of the family rested on his mother's shoulders, and he felt bad for her, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Are you - they aren't letting you go, are they?"

"Oh, no! No, no no, nothing like that. It's - oh dear, I wasn't really going to say anything yet, but I guess there's no time like the present," Sherri sighed and sat down on a kitchen stool. "Jared, I've been offered a new job. At a new school. They're starting a gifted program and they want me to come set it up, get it going. It's an exciting opportunity, and there's a _very_ nice raise that comes with it."

"Mom!! That's so great! Holy cow, that's fantastic! I'm so proud of you!" Jared burbled as he jumped up and hugged his mother. Releasing her, Jared saw her sitting very still. He felt a chill as he asked her, "Mom? What is it then? What's wrong?"

Sherri looked down at her hands, intertwining her fingers tightly. "It's in Sacramento, Jared. The school is in California."

Jared froze, staring at her. No. California? No. Maybe he heard wrong. Maybe she wasn't going to take it. Maybe . . .

"Oh, Jared, I'm sorry. I know you love it here. But between the opportunity and the money, I have to take this. Please try to understand."

Jared swallowed, somehow making it past the huge lump in his throat. He did understand it - he just hated it. But clearly his mother was happy and excited, and he would be a crappy son to complain. After everything his mother had done for them; supporting the family, helping Jared and his siblings to continue thriving after his dad's death, he would never - _could_ never - bitch about her happiness. He pasted on a smile and gave her a big hug. "I understand, Mom. I do. I just - I'm going to miss being here. My school, my friends. The dojo." He had to stop, closing his eyes and swallowing hard. No more Silver Dragon Studio or Mr. Morgan. No Dragon Patrol. No Mr. Ackles. Damn it, he'd never even gotten to talk with the older boy.

"I know you will, sweetheart. But there'll be new things to do there. A new school. We can even find you a new dojo." She smiled at him. There was only a hint of a quaver in her mouth.

Jared firmed up his own smile in response. "Yeah, Mom. We'll work it all out. I'm sure it's going to be great." Jared would deal with the new school. He'd probably make new friends without much trouble; he was a pretty out-going guy. He didn't think he'd be living in a vacuum. But he wasn't going to look for a new dojo. That was a memory Jared didn't want to overwrite. They'd be moving to Sacramento, but karate would stay behind in Texas.


	3. Chapter 3

(2014)  
Of course Jared remembered Jensen - during all his time in Sacramento, the image of Jensen Ackles in his Dragon Patrol uniform had never faded. The only change was that it had matured from the static image of a youth to ones that were considerably more adult in nature. Those images reminded Jared of one item he hadn't shared with Sandy and Chad yet - that he was gay. He hadn't quite decided how to handle that, being back in Texas now. He had no desire to hide himself at all, but there was the reality that Texas was not an overly gay-friendly state. These were his best friends, though, and he steeled himself to be honest and open with them. First, he needed to answer Chad's question.

"Sure, of course!" Jared replied casually. "I, uh, kinda had a crush on him back then, ya know?"

Chad and Sandy both burst out laughing. "Ya THINK??" Chad snorted. "Crap, you were totally fixated on him! Every time dude walked into the dojo, you were gone! The first time you saw him, I thought you were gonna swallow your own tongue before I got you out of there!" Sandy nodded in agreement.

Jared felt the blush spreading over his cheeks. "Yeah, um, well - what can I say?" He laughed as he recalled that day. This is it, he thought, here's my opening. Gotta go for it. "I guess that should have been my big clue, right? You know, that I'm gay?" He watched his friends' faces for their reactions.

Chad blew out a big breath. "Thank God!" He reached over and clapped Jared on the shoulder. "Dude, I was so afraid you were in the closet!" Jared gaped at him, and Chad laughed. "Seriously, you think I didn't know? I probably knew before you did. Your reaction to Jensen was way beyond simply admiring an older guy. You were nuts about him."

Sandy chimed in, "You really were. I remember having a crush on you for about 15 minutes before I realized it was hopeless." She patted his hand. "I'm much happier as your friend. Now, what about Sacramento? Did you date any boys? Are you out to your family? The rest of the world?"

Jared took a long drink of his soda. His mind was spinning a bit over Chad and Sandy's revelations, but at the same time, it was a huge relief that they had already figured it out. "Dated girls for a while. I was a major jock, so that meant going out with cheerleaders. They just didn't do anything for me, though, so I finally stopped. Didn't date any boys, and I didn't come out during high school at all. I told my family, and they were totally fine. I'm kinda just identifying myself as gay to the world a little bit at a time."

Sandy interrupted to say, "Well, there's a pretty active LBGT group on campus, if you want to either get support or get involved."

Jared nodded. "Maybe in a bit. I just want to get situated first, you know? But hey, what were you going to say about Jensen, before we got sidetracked with my sex life, or the lack thereof?"

Chad flapped his hands. "Words I never want to hear again - your 'sex life'." Jared threw a pizza crust at him. "Seriously! Okay, so you remember the dojo and everything, right? The Silver Dragon? Well, Jensen went on to get his black belt, and now? It's _his_ damn dojo! He's the instructor there! It moved, it was the other side of town, if you remember, but now it's in the same plaza as the Roadhouse Diner. You know, the one that has a little liquor store next to it? That's the new home of the Silver Dragon studio, run by your favorite karate heartthrob, Jensen Ackles."

Jared was stunned. "Holy shit, that's just a couple of blocks from my apartment! I had breakfast at the diner just the other day. I was going to walk around it and see what else was in there, but I was anxious to get to administration and check on my status. You know, Sandy, that was the day I came in and ran into you." She nodded. Jared digested Chad's announcement. "Wow, Jensen made it to black belt! That's amazing. Did you keep going, Chad? With karate, after I moved away?"

Chad shook his head. "Nah. Shit happened, you know? Had to graduate, see about college and a job. You? Find a dojo in Cali?"

Jared looked down. "No. My mom offered, but it wouldn't have been the same, you know? Then I started with the growth spurts and the varsity teams were after me, so I did team sports instead."

"Yeah, no kidding! What the fuck is in the water out there? You must be a foot and a half taller than when you left! How tall are you now?"

"Six foot four." Chad shook his head in amazement, and Jared laughed. "It's kinda cool - I can always see over a crowd, you know? On the other hand, I grew so fast that I had to keep relearning my coordination. I'd just master all the angles for basketball, say, and then boom! Three more inches in a couple of months. And my legs would hurt like a bitch. They're better now, but I still get backaches a lot from stooping and bad posture. I'm going to need to start working out pretty soon here for my reflexes and back strength."

Sandy smirked. "Well, you _could_ always take karate back up. We already know it's awesome for both strength and coordination. And there's a studio right near your place, now, isn't there!" She beamed at him. 

"Yeah, you could take care of _all_ your physical needs in one fell swoop!" Chad winked and made a rude gesture.

Jared rolled his eyes. "Sure thing! One stop shopping!" He scoffed. "C'mon, guys! First off, Chad, you're an ass. Second, odds are that Jensen is straight. And probably taken. Third - really? Start karate again at nineteen? Isn't it more for kids?"

Sandy shook her head. "Not at all! I kept going for a few years - got up to brown belt - and there were definitely adults coming to the dojo for class. Seriously, Jared, it might not be a bad idea. You're used to being active, you need some help in a couple of areas, and you wouldn't be tied to a team schedule or games. Or to stupid jock expectations."

Jared thought about it for a minute. Sandy was making some excellent points. He was already feeling the lack of regular workouts, and he _had_ really enjoyed it when he was a kid. And maybe - just maybe - it would be kind of interesting to see Jensen all grown up.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Between Jared's to-do list, classes starting, and his own hesitancy, several days went by before he got around to investigating the dojo. He'd even avoided going to the diner at all, not wanting to chance running into Jensen. Today was the first day that he had no pressing tasks to take care of, and after his 9:00 class, he was free. Today was the day, Jared decided. He grabbed coffee and a bagel on his way to class, sat through a lecture where most of the material simply streamed right through his ears, and then walked out into the sunny, fall morning. He sat on a bench for twenty minutes, trying to decide if he was really going to do this or not. Pulling out his phone, Jared texted Sandy. _I don't know what to do :-(_

_Nervous? *hugs*_

_Yes. Am I a big baby?_

_Yes. Love you anyway, ya big lug._

_Thanks. I think._

_Honey, whatcha got to lose? Doesn't work out, walk away._

He sighed. Another good point. Sandy looked at things in a very direct way.

_Okay. Thank you. ttyl_

_You better!! ;-) I want details!_

Jared got up and walked to his truck. He drove to the plaza and parked by the diner, since he didn't know where in the plaza the studio was located. The plaza was laid out in a rectangle with an opening on each side. Retail stores ran around the outside, and small offices and businesses were located on the inside. He started walking around the perimeter, passing a salon, a vitamin shop, and a jewelry store, and then he turned at the corner. 

And there it was. A wide marquee spanning two storefronts; a carved wood sign in pale gray, reading _Silver Dragon Martial Arts Studio_ in black script lettering with silver accents. One window ledge was filled with trophies of all sizes, all gold and red and black and shiny. Jared looked in the window and saw a layout very similar to one he remembered - the waiting area with chairs, the counter with a computer monitor on it, the windowed divider wall opening onto the main dojo floor. It was empty, and he looked at the hours listed on the door, reading that they were closed until 2:00 p.m. A rush of relief washed through Jared at the temporary delay. He had a couple of hours to kill, so he went to the diner (whose good, cheap food he'd missed these last couple of weeks), to have lunch and study until the dojo opened. He wasn't going to bail on this . . . even if his heart was racing a little.

Two hours later, Jared left the diner after a tasty and filling lunch. He'd studied for his first upcoming test as well as catching up on various voicemails and emails. And now he was walking over to the dojo with resolve and determination.

And butterflies in his tummy.

Walking through the dojo door felt like walking into his boyhood. With the color scheme and layout being so similar to the old edition of The Silver Dragon, echoes of _kiais_ rang through Jared's mind. It had been a very long time since he'd thought about his hours spent in karate class, and how much he had enjoyed it. He still felt a little foolish coming here as an adult, but now that he was actually inside, it was starting to feel more natural.

No one was visible, and Jared wondered if he should knock on the counter or something. Then a door at the back opened and Jensen came out.

He'd been a beautiful boy, smartly dressed in the purple Dragon Patrol jacket and white pants. As a man, Jensen blew that youthful beauty away. His features were more defined; the planes of his cheekbones, the firm chin. His eyes were still that vibrant, sparkling green, large and round, set amidst thick lashes. The boyish, pouting mouth was more mature, but still lush with full, sensual lips. Tiny cinnamon freckles were carelessly spattered over his features, including his eyelids, ears, and neck. Jared immediately wanted to investigate that freckle situation and track every last one of them down, preferably with his tongue. Jensen wore the same style of white canvas jacket that Jared remembered Mr. Morgan wearing, tied with a black cloth belt over black track pants. He looked to be a little over 6 feet, seeing as he came up to about Jared's nose. His shoulders were broad underneath the white canvas, his waist trim, and his legs - holy cow, he had bow legs. Jared didn't remember boy-Jensen having bow legs, but those white Patrol pants had been cut pretty full in the leg. In the slimmer cut of the black track pants, Jensen's legs were clearly seen to be bowed, and all Jared could think was how perfectly they would fit around his hips as - 

"Hi there, I'm Jensen Ackles, the chief instructor here at the Silver Dragon. How can I help you? Are you looking for a class for your child?" Jensen was in front of him with a wide smile, extending his hand to shake Jared's.

"No! Uh, I mean, not my child. And my name is Jared. Do you have adult classes?" Jared blurted. He absolutely felt like a thirteen year old again, awkwardly talking to his crush.

"We certainly do! We have an adult beginners class that meets twice a week. What is it you're looking for with karate?" Jensen gestured to a couple of chairs, and they sat as Jared pondered his answer.

"Well, I had a series of growth spurts throughout high school and into college - I'm a junior at UT Austin - and I just feel . . . gawky. Like I lost a lot of coordination from the rapid growth. And I'd like to build up more muscle too, avoid back pain from stooping. Things like that." Jared found himself answering more calmly now.

Jensen nodded. "Great. You're absolutely right, several fast growth spurts like that can play havoc with your coordination and balance. Your brain and reflexes haven't had time to adjust to your new size. Karate is excellent for those areas; a lot of the moves will help you with those problems. And definitely with the muscle strength too - it's not like weight training, where you simply bulk up, it's building strength by movement and repetition. We start every class with several rounds of calisthenics to assist with strength training." He made notes on a clipboard. "Jared - it's Jared, right? Have you taken any martial arts classes before? Can I offer you an introductory lesson, and then you can decide if you'd like to enroll?"

"I don't think I need an introductory lesson. I'm good with just signing up now," Jared said. "And yes, I have taken martial arts before. Here, as a matter of fact. I went here when I was in junior high, when Mr. Morgan was teaching here. Well, at the old location, I guess. In 2008."

Jensen's head whipped up. "Really??" He stared at Jared. "I'll be damned - you're Jared Padalecki, aren't you! Wow, you sure grew up tall, man! You moved away, right? Wow, well - welcome back! Both to Texas and the Silver Dragon!" He clapped Jared on the shoulder. "Wait until I tell Jeff Morgan you're back!"

Jared was stunned. How did Jensen even know who he was, much less remember him?

"Wow, I didn't think you even knew who I was. You were in high school and on the Dragon Patrol, and I was just a student in junior high and at a much lower rank."

"Well, the Dragon Patrol was expected to know all the students, even if they weren't in your class. Besides, Jeff pointed you out to me a few times. He was really impressed with you, thought you'd do very well in martial arts. Did you continue with karate in California?"

"No, I got involved in team sports out there. Baseball, soccer, basketball. It was a good way to get through high school, but I really want to give this a shot again." 

"Then give it a shot, we shall. Let's rustle up a _gi_ for you, and a schedule of classes. What belt were you at when you left?"

"I'd just gotten my purple belt."

"Great, we'll start with that. You can take all the time you need to get back in the swing of things - don't worry if you aren't ready for the next graduation. We'll just take it from here and get you going again, okay?" Jensen gave Jared a big smile that lit up his face. Jared thought his heart might seize up right then and there. Goddamn, the guy was _still_ fucking gorgeous!

"Yeah, sure! Sounds like a plan," Jared said as he smiled back and they shook hands. Jared's hand tingled where it had been in contact with Jensen's. Oh dear Lord, did he have it bad.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen looked out the big front window at the dojo as Jared walked off down the sidewalk. Damn! Who would have thought Jared Padalecki would walk back into his life like that! Jensen laughed at himself - he'd never actually gotten to know Jared back in Jensen's Dragon Patrol days. Never even got to talk to him. Jared had made an impression on Jensen all the same.

(2008)  
Jensen rushed into the Silver Dragon, trying to move fast but stay calm. Today was his first day as a member of the teen assistant squad, the Dragon Patrol. Jensen was thrilled when Mr. Morgan asked him to join it. He knew Mr. Morgan only asked the older kids who were skilled in karate as well as being mature and responsible. When he put on the purple jacket with "Mr. Ackles" on the back and the white pants, he was filled with pride. Then his mother left a few minutes late, they'd hit a couple of red lights on the drive over, and now he was dashing in, almost late on his very first day! What would Mr. Morgan think?

Jensen pushed open the door, momentarily taken aback at the waiting room full of people. It hadn't dawned on him that there was a class before his, even though he knew that Chris and Dani assisted on the same day. Jensen took a moment to look around the room, checking out faces as he considered crossing to the dojo floor. He recognized a few of the kids, mostly as younger siblings of his friends. No one who was a big deal . . . until he saw a boy he'd never seen at the dojo before. He knew that right away, because if he had seen _this_ boy before, Jensen would never have forgotten him.

The boy had thick hair that was a rich chestnut brown. It was a little on the long side, and curled around a narrow face with high cheekbones. The boy's head snapped toward the door, and Jensen froze. He saw the boy's eyes were a little tilted, giving his face an exotic cast, a quality further emphasized by the blue/green/gold color mix of his eyes. The boy seemed frozen as well, his eyes fixed on Jensen, his mouth open. Jensen idly wondered what those pink lips would feel like on his own. A blond boy began tugging on the dark-haired boy's arm, breaking the dark-haired boy's focus as they briefly scuffled. Jensen's heart skipped for a moment, but then blood crashed through him again. He remembered what he was there for and ran through the lobby onto the dojo floor. Mr. Morgan greeted him, began to issue his instructions for the upcoming class, and Jensen didn't have two minutes to think about the whole encounter again. Dimly he heard the outside door close, and when he could look out into the lobby again, the boys were gone.

That evening, though, he thought about the boy with the exotic eyes. Thought about him quite a lot, in fact. And his thoughts were kept alive by seeing the boy twice every week, changing his shoes in the lobby as Jensen came on duty. After three weeks, Jensen finally got up the nerve to ask Mr. Morgan who the boy was, wanting to think of him with a name instead of just "the boy". "Oh, you mean Jared Padalecki," Mr. Morgan answered easily. "He's from Kim Manners School. You remember? I did an after-school program there for a month, and four or five students started here afterward. Jared, Chad Murray, Sandy McCoy, a couple of others. Good kid, got a real talent. I can see him being Dragon Patrol material in a couple of years."

But after half a dozen months, Jared vanished from the dojo. Jensen finally managed to overhear something from Chad, the blond boy, and Sandy, a spunky brunette in Jared's class, about Jared's family moving to California. Considering how Jensen hadn't even talked with Jared, it was surprising how much that news made his heart sting.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

(2014)  
During his first adult beginners class, Jared felt self-conscious and clumsy. Despite that, he was pleasantly surprised how familiar some of the moves felt, and the other adult students were friendly. He left the dojo that night feeling a little sore, a lot tired, and very content. And taking instruction from Jensen? Watching him lead the class, demonstrate the moves? It was stimulating in all kinds of ways, as Jared enjoyed Jensen's calm, deep voice and his graceful, strong gestures. Every time Jensen spoke to Jared, whether correcting or offering praise and encouragement, Jared's heart fluttered like he was a teenage girl.

Karate turned out to be a terrific stress burner for Jared. While his personality was naturally easy-going, he did push himself to do well at school, and that pushing plus his course deadlines meant stress. The physical workout unkinked and relaxed his body, wringing the knots out of his muscles, while the necessary concentration did the same for his mind. Plus, it was just plain fun. Jared liked the other students and he liked the activity itself. And mother of God, did he like Jensen.

Watching Jensen demonstrating forms - longer sequences of moves, kicks, blocks and attacks - was a delight. The smoothness of Jensen's movements was underwritten by sheer power, sleek muscles coiling and bunching as Jensen flowed from one position to the next. The combination of strength and grace was both hypnotic and sexy. Jensen taught in the same style Mr. Morgan had, where he explained clearly as he demonstrated, then moved among the students to coach, encourage, and praise. When he walked by Jared and said "Good job" or "Try it like this", accompanied by a touch of cool, callused hands, Jared felt his blood surging. He invariably ducked his head and murmured a response, hoping not to betray his tongue-tied reaction to Jensen's proximity.

Between school and karate, Jared was a busy guy. He was extremely fortunate that he didn't have to work while he was attending school right now. His financial aid and scholarships paid most of his tuition, and his mother underwrote the rest of his expenses. She was making a lot of money from her gifted program now, having very successfully published a book and several study guides from it, and she wanted him to be able to concentrate on his studies. In return, he felt it was only fair on his part to do the very best at school that he could. 

With his days and evenings filled, Jared's semester flew by. He no sooner finished his school finals in January than he was up for his first graduation as an adult student, being promoted from his purple belt to a blue belt. The structure was the same as he remembered from his junior high day; a demanding master class that reviewed both the basics and the last few months' material, followed by the presentation of the new belts. The biggest difference was the graduation class would not be held at the Silver Dragon dojo itself, but an affiliated, larger dojo, Expert Martial Arts, the next town over.

Jared felt nervous as he drove to the Expert studio that evening. He felt pretty comfortable with his progress, but the thought of performing in front of instructors and students that he didn't know was somewhat nerve-wracking. At least he'd be with most of his classmates, who were also moving up a rank. They had already told him about the post-graduation tradition of everyone going out for pizza afterward. Jensen would be at the graduation as well, although he wouldn't be interacting very much with the students - they had to show they could do it all by themselves. Jensen and the other instructors would be assisting the area Master as he led the class and at the belt presentation.

Jared walked into the Expert dojo and was promptly floored at seeing Mr. Morgan on the other side of the dojo floor. He looked as hearty and strong as ever, wearing a red _gi_ jacket and black pants. Half a dozen other dojos were represented, most with instructors that Jared didn't know, but he certainly recognized two of them. One was a shorter man, maybe 5'10", with piercing blue eyes and longer brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and the other was a young woman with red, curly hair and a constant smile. It was Mr. Kane and Ms. Harris, the former Dragon Patrol assistants from Jared's old class. Jared was extremely curious about their presence, and in fact about Mr. Morgan too, but there was no time to chat. He had to stow his coat and shoes and get ready right away for the class.

There was no time to think at all during the master class. As hard as Jared thought he'd been working, tonight he worked even harder. His _gi_ top was soaked through by the time the class ended, and his voice was hoarse from his _kiais_. Jensen and the other instructors alternated between standing on the sidelines as Master Morgan (as he was now referred to) taught the students, and walking among them to correct and praise, much like the Dragon Patrol of old. Jensen stopped by Jared several times with minor adjustments and always gave him an encouraging smile or word. Jared wasn't sure his heart could stand the effort of the workout and the effect Jensen had on it combined. He was also sure that he loved every moment Jensen spent working with him.

At the conclusion of the class, the students all sat in rows on the floor, waiting to be called up by Master Morgan and presented with their certificates, then receive their new belts from their own dojo instructor. Jared applauded for all of the other students until his name was called. He unfolded his aching legs and ran up to the front, shaking Master Morgan's hand and receiving his certificate. "Jared!" said Master Morgan with a big smile and twinkling eyes. "Good to see you back, son." Jared gave him a big smile and hearty handshake before turning to Jensen, standing there holding his blue belt.

"Congratulations, Jared," said Jensen, smiling widely. "You did so well. I'm really proud of you." They shook hands while Jared's heart hammered in his chest. Jensen's handshake was firm, his skin warm under Jared's fingers. "Jared - see me later, okay?" Jensen said quietly. Jared stared blankly at Jensen, but Jensen was already turning to the next student with belt in hand. Jared trotted back to his place, his mind in a whirl. What did Jensen want to see him about? Was it for something concerning karate or . . . not? Jared tried to remember if he'd ever heard Jensen mention a girlfriend, and he wished Sandy was around. Sandy always knew about stuff like this - who was seeing whom, or who just wanted to. Jared was always at sea with relationship questions, and his gaydar sucked.

Then it was over, and they were all standing up to applaud. Cameras flashed and groups formed and broke apart as proud family and friends took pictures. Other students from the Silver Dragon walked by and congratulated Jared, and he knew he said stuff back to them - he only hoped that his words made sense. His mind was buzzing as his eyes searched for Jensen, finally spying him milling around with the students, laughing and clapping people on the back and stopping for pictures. Then everyone started streaming out the door, and Jared went with the exiting flow. He turned one last time and saw Master Morgan wave at him, but Jensen was nowhere to be seen.

Jared had thought ahead and brought a clean shirt and jeans, leaving them in his car so he could make a stealthy outfit change under cover of darkness, throwing his sweaty _gi_ into the back seat. The Silver Dragon students planned to celebrate at a pizza place up the road. Jared found the place easily and went inside, his stomach rumbling as soon as he smelled the food. Half of the class was already there, seated at half a dozen small tables pushed together in a long row, so he just pulled out one of the empty chairs. More students were still arriving, so Jared didn't think anything of it when a deep voice asked, "Is anyone sitting here?" He turned to nod and found himself staring into gorgeous green eyes rimmed with thick, dark lashes.

"No - I mean, yes - um, no! No one is sitting there. Please," and Jared gestured to the chair, wondering if he would actually stop breathing if Jensen sat next to him. Well, he was going to find out, because now Jensen was sitting there, and it looked like Jared was still breathing after all. Hot damn. Oxygen and Jensen - this was Jared's lucky day.

"Wow, it's Mr. Ackles! Hey, guys, Mr. Ackles is joining us tonight!" 

"Hey, Mr. Ackles, how ya doing? Did we do good tonight?"

The chorus of greetings told Jared how well Jensen was liked as well as that he didn't usually join them at these after-grad gatherings. Jared wondered just why Jensen had chosen to do so tonight. In the meantime, Jared decided he was going to enjoy every last second of the party. Enjoy hearing Jensen joke and laugh in that rich voice; enjoy seeing his eyes sparkle and his white teeth flash as he smiled; enjoy the opportunity to study odd details about him like his slightly cleft chin and his elegant hands and the golden hair frosting his arms and - oh God, Jared was so, so gone. He hoped he was going to make it through the evening without drooling on himself or popping a boner, or something similarly embarrassing. Wait - why did he have to think about boners? Now that was all he could think about, the possibility of getting a hard-on that he couldn't control or hide, and that made him think about cocks, and suddenly he was thinking about _Jensen's_ cock, wondering what it looked like, what it tasted - NO!!! No no no! Jared firmly scolded his inner horndog to stop thinking about cocks at all, much less _Jensen's_ cock. No. Just, no. He took a big gulp of the Coke that had just arrived in front of him, only to have it go down the wrong pipe and then slop into his shirt while he coughed. _Fuck,_ he thought as he wiped at his shirt. _What a fucking loser I am._

"You okay there, Jared?" Jensen asked, smiling at him. Jared nodded mutely as he gave his shirt another dab or two with a paper napkin. "You looked really good tonight - sharp form, a lot of power. We'll be starting to talk about the tournament shortly - it's in a few months and I think you definitely need to consider competing." Apparently Jared looked shocked at this, because Jensen was quickly reassuring him, "Hey! Not to worry, dude! Plenty of time to train. Lots of students will be competing as well, and so will I."

"You?" Jared asked with surprise.

"Oh yeah, even the instructors get to compete. I'll be going up against Chris and Dani, for instance, as we're all the same rank."

Jared's mind searched for who Chris and Dani were. "Oh! Mr. Kane and Ms. Harris! I saw them tonight and I was wondering about them."

"They went down the same path that I did - they kept going with karate and got their black belts, then trained to be instructors. They co-run a dojo about half an hour away, the Kane/Harris Martial Arts Center."

"Wow! That's so great! Are they partners in, uh, all ways?"

"Nope, just business partners. Chris is seeing a musician, Steve - guy plays guitar and sings - he tours quite a bit, but they've been together a couple of years now. Dani's having fun playing the field." Jensen took a pull on his beer. "Where's the damn pizza, I'm starving!"

Jared was momentarily stunned. Chris . . . was gay? Hadn't Jensen distinctly said 'he' when referring to Chris' love interest? "Oh, oh yeah, that's so great! I'm happy they enjoy it so much." God, he felt so hot, was he still sweaty from the graduation or was it from sitting so close to Jensen that their arms were brushing? "Jensen, did you say - is Chris dating a guy?"

Jensen looked at Jared with a slightly guarded look. "Yeah, yeah I did. Is that a problem?" His expression was shuttered and his eyes stared at Jared as if daring him to make an issue out of it.

"Not at all! No, I just wanted to make sure I heard correctly so I don't put my foot in my mouth at some point. Unfortunately, I'm kinda good at that," and Jared laughed in a self-deprecating way.

Jensen relaxed with a smile. "No problem! I'm a little over-protective. I mean, Austin is pretty cool but it's still Texas, and Texas isn't known for its warm, fuzzy acceptance of gays." He looked intently at Jared, his green eyes like jade.

"Hey, I understand completely. And you're right about Austin. In fact, that's one reason I came back here - you see," but then the pizzas arrived, cutting Jared off on the brink of declaration. Between passing slices and plates around, and everyone talking and shouting, the moment passed. In fact, there was no further private conversation between Jensen and Jared the rest of the time, although it was still a lot of fun. The eating, laughter, teasing and stories went on for a couple of hours, and it was late when the last wedges were wrapped up and the servers handed out the checks.

Jensen and Jared walked out to their cars together, trading just a few quiet words. Jensen was parked a couple of spaces from Jared's truck, but he stopped when Jared did. Jared had a crazy idea about kissing him as they stood there, just grabbing Jensen's shoulders and going for it, but he restrained himself. Just because Jensen was gay- _friendly_ didn't mean he was actually gay himself.

"So, uh, I guess I'll see you at the studio Monday night," said Jared somewhat hesitantly. The atmosphere between him and Jensen felt a little charged, but maybe it was just the lingering excitement from graduation. Then again, maybe it wasn't. Jared didn't know how to test the waters, since he'd never actually tried to date a guy before.

Jensen said casually, "Hey, you know the Roadhouse Diner? The one around the corner from the studio but in the same plaza?" Jared nodded, refraining from saying how often he ate there. "I go there for breakfast sometimes - they have awesome breakfasts. Sit over coffee and relax a little, know what I mean?" His eyes studied Jared's face.

"Yeah, I do know. I go there quite a bit - my apartment is only a couple of blocks away. Their food is great. And cheap." Jared grinned. "Best omelets ever."

"Yeah, I'll say!" Jensen nodded in agreement. "Wow, you live that close? Dude, I'm only a couple of blocks away too, heading toward the interstate. I wanted to be close to the dojo, since I was gonna be there so much, you know?" He cleared his throat unnecessarily. "What do you say we meet for breakfast one day? Depending on your classes, of course. The dojo doesn't open until 3, so I get there around 2 or 2:30, and mornings are my own."

Jared felt like his heart was swelling inside his chest. He clamped down on his joy and answered as casually as Jensen had asked. "Yeah, sure, that sounds great. I have a couple of days where my first class isn't until eleven or twelve. How's, um, Tuesday work for you?"

Jensen's smile was blinding. "Tuesday sounds fantastic. Say, 8:30?"

"Absolutely, man. I'll be there."

"Awesome!" Jensen shook the hand Jared extended, but then pulled him into a one-armed hug. Jared spent an eternity pressed to Jensen's hard, muscular body, feeling Jensen's arm wrapped firmly around him, smelling of cologne with an undertone of warm, slightly sweaty Jensen. It was the best smell Jared ever inhaled.

They stepped back at the same time. Jared thought Jensen looked flushed, although it was hard to tell in the uneven fluorescent light of the parking lot. He felt his own cheeks burning and knew there had to be a red blush on each one. He gave a little wave as he unlocked his truck door, and Jensen waved back before turning and walking briskly to his own car.

Despite the fatigue and the fun of the evening, Jared had a hard time going to sleep that night. Jensen's laughter and green eyes kept floating into his thoughts, and eventually they drifted into his dreams as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday was filled with errands, chores, and studying, but on Sunday, Jared went over to Chad and Sandy's place for a barbecue. Their apartment had a walkout to a concrete patio, and while they weren't allowed to have a full-size grill, they did have a baby Weber. It was enough to barbecue up some steaks or burgers, so Chad manned the grill as the three of them relaxed outside and caught up on their week.

Jared filled them in on the graduation, casually mentioning that Jensen had joined the celebration and then moving on with his conversation. Since his friends had not recently fallen off any turnip trucks, they didn't let him get away with that.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm sorry, did you say Jensen hung out with you guys? Is that S.O.P.?" Chad questioned as he slapped the steaks on the grill.

"Yeah, I wanna hear more about this!" Sandy chimed in as she brought out some tortilla chips and salsa. "What all happened, Jared?"

Jared grabbed some chips and promptly broke one in the salsa. "Nothing! What do you mean, 'what happened'? We ate pizza and hung out. That's it." He popped open a beer and took a long pull.

Chad and Sandy exchanged glances. "Uh-huh. Right. Come on, Jared, what's going on? You're deflecting way too hard here," said Sandy, very matter-of-factly. 

Chad opened a beer of his own. "J-Man, you know you ain't getting anything past Sherlock there, so cough up the 411." He burped loudly after swigging his beer. Sandy smacked his leg, and Chad laughed at her glare.

Jared fiddled with his napkin. "I don't know - I mean, nothing really did happen. But . . . I think there was something there? Damn, Sandy, I was wishing you were there so you'd be able to tell me what was going on. I suck at this subtle personal shit."

"Tell you about what, Jared? Tell me everything that happened and maybe I can still help you figure it out," she said kindly, patting his knee.

"Well, Jensen came into the pizza place after I did, and he came over and asked if he could sit next to me, even though there were a bunch of empty chairs still. He sat next to me all night, and we talked for a while before it got really loud and all. When we left? He walked out to the parking lot with me, and we talked a little bit out there." Sandy and Chad were both listening intently to Jared's recounting. "And then I was going to leave, and he asked if I wanted to meet him for breakfast. You know, at the Roadhouse. The dojo doesn't open until the afternoon, and he figured with classes, I probably had some mornings free. And I said sure, so we're meeting for breakfast Tuesday." Jared drank some beer and watched his friends digest what he'd said.

"Hmmm, well, well. That's all very interesting, Jared. When he left - you know, when you guys were in the parking lot - what did he do? I mean, did he just wave good-bye or shake hands or what?" Sandy asked.

"He - um - he shook my hand first, but then we kinda had one of those one-armed, manly hugs."

Chad got up to check the steaks. "Dude, I am not remotely gay, and even I can tell you that that man is warm for your form."

Jared rolled his eyes, but then saw Sandy nodding. "Really? You think he's really interested in me?" Chad nodded while Sandy got up to bring out more food.

"I think Chad is right, Jared," said Sandy, a big bowl of potato salad in her hands. "Think of it this way - if you were a guy doing all that for a girl during a party, what would you think? You'd think he liked that girl."

Chad snickered and said, "Guess that means you're the girl here! Does that mean you're the bottom, too?"

Jared groaned and covered his face as Sandy rapped Chad on the head with a spoon. "Stop that, Chad Michael Murray! That's enough out of you, or I'll tell Jared about the pink satin -"

Chad leapt up and put his hand over her mouth. "Okay, okay! Sorry, Jared! Just be sure Jenny preps you good, don't let him cheap out on the lube -"

" _CHAD!_ " Jared and Sandy both exclaimed loudly.

As they were eating the steaks and Sandy's delicious potato salad, Jared remembered something from the other night.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you about this. Jensen told me Chris Kane is gay. He got kinda shirty about it too, like he thought that was gonna bother me. I was going to tell him I was gay, but a bunch of people came in and it got really noisy."

"You mean Mr. Kane, from the old Dragon Patrol? Wow, I didn't see that one coming!" said Chad. "He was always teamed up with that hot redhead."

"They still are teamed up! They run in a dojo together, but they're just business partners and friends. He's in a relationship with a musician."

Sand delicately wiped her mouth off and sipped her beer. "Well, here's what I think, Jared. I totally think Jensen is gay, and I think he is interested in you. So do with that what you will, but that's my two cents." She got up and started clearing. "Keep that in mind when you see him Tuesday, and see what happens next." She winked at Jared as she went back inside with the leftover food.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Despite being out late on Friday with the post-graduation pizza party, Jensen was at the dojo by 9:00 am sharp the next morning. While classes during the week didn't start until 3:00 pm with the last one ending at 9:30, Saturdays ran opposite to that. Regular classes started at 9 a.m. and ended at 3:00 pm, leaving time for special events like children's birthday parties, or seminars on different martial arts topics. The Saturday slate of classes kept Jensen on the run all day, so he didn't really have time to think about Jared.

That evening was another story. Jensen was tired after Friday's long schedule and a busy Saturday, so he stayed in and ordered some Chinese delivery, supplemented by the cold six pack he had in his fridge. He ate and drank and relaxed as he did a little channel surfing, ending up with an NCIS marathon. Jensen wasn't big on procedurals, but he enjoyed the varied characters of the NCIS Major Crimes team and their wacky interactions with each other. And that Mark Harmon was a hell of a silver fox. Jensen watched case after case unfold, wondering idly if Gibbs and Tony were banging each other on the side. They sure seemed to have an intense connection.

Belly fed, beer unwinding him, Jensen felt soothed and mellow as he lounged on his couch. His thoughts drifted to Jared; what an amusing, sweet guy he was, to say nothing of being hot as blazes. He'd grown up so tall, a good three inches over Jensen's own six foot one frame, and still had that thick, wavy hair and those unique multicolored eyes with just a hint of a tilt to them. Jensen pictured Jared's sweet mouth, pink lips that stretched wide when they smiled, and the dimples! Apparently Jared had never smiled when Jensen saw him all those years ago, because it just about gave Jensen an instant hard-on the first time he saw them appear. They were deeply carved into Jared's cheeks, and Jensen just wanted to trace them with his finger. Or maybe his tongue.

Jensen continued daydreaming about the man he found so attractive, letting his mind play over Jared's broad shoulders, slim waist, and mile-long legs. His hand idly slipped under his sweatpants, loosely stroking himself as he held Jared in his mind's eye. Did Jared have chest hair? Just a little or a lot? Did he wax or shave his junk, or was he au natural? Jensen's mind tried to picture Jared naked, what his skin would look like - what Jensen had seen so far was smooth and tan, with a few scattered moles. What about his chest - was he ripped? He looked pretty well built under his _gi_. Jensen thought his abs were probably amazing, and his cock started leaking in his sweatpants as Jensen thought about dragging his tongue down Jared's washboard abs. What does his dick look like? He was such a big guy, it had to be proportional, didn't it? Damn!! Jensen usually topped, but he wanted a ride if proportional was indeed the case . . . oh god, riding Jared . . . splitting himself on Jared's giant cock, seeing that long torso spread out between his legs. Feeling those narrow hips buck up into him, those enormous hands sliding over his body, owning him, gripping his cock, stroking it, squeezing it, palming his balls, squeezing them . . .

The hot splatter of his own come jolted Jensen out of his fantasy. He almost didn't know where he was for a moment, mind still full of his sex-dream about Jared, body still humming with his orgasm. Jensen was limp as he lay on the couch, gasping a little as he caught his breath. Jesus, this was unreal. He didn't do this. He didn't lie around mooning over guys and jacking off like that. Damn if that didn't feel fantastic though . . . such hot, pretty pictures. Jensen carefully withdrew his messy hand from his pants and swung his legs down. Time to clean up - and hope that someday he'd get to be in bed with Jared, and see how close his imagination came to the real thing.

After a good night's sleep - including sleeping halfway through Sunday morning - Jensen woke feeling optimistic about his upcoming date with Jared. He scoffed at himself a little, asking himself if he thought imaginary sex bonded the two of them. Even so, Jensen felt less anxious. He admitted to himself how much he liked Jared. He was ninety-five percent sure that Jared was gay. And no matter what, Jensen felt ready to find out the rest - to confirm if Jared _was_ gay. He wanted to see how Jared felt about him. Wanted to ask Jared to be with him. 

He thought about calling Chris. They had been friends since those early days as fellow students, along with Danneel. Danneel described herself as their "fag-hag", and enjoyed their masculine company without having to worry about romantic entanglements. She and Chris went from being best friends to best friends and business partners, and Jensen had always been alongside them. Chris had accepted his own sexuality early on, and no one really wanted to mess with him about it. Not with those piercing eyes, those meaty arms, and oh yeah - stellar karate skills. Jensen had always been more reticent about being gay - he'd always had to deal with being called "pretty", fending off comments about his girly features and his cock-sucking lips. He'd come out to his family when he graduated high school, hoping for the best but still fearing the worst. Thankfully, they didn't react like the narrow-minded Texans Jensen knew to be so prevalent; instead, they were loving and supportive.

Other than his family, Chris and Dani were really the only ones who knew Jensen was gay. He didn't find the usual Texas viewpoint on gays to be a very tolerant one. There had been a couple of kids in his high school who'd come out publicly, bravely owning their orientation, and their remaining high school years had been a misery of vandalized belongings, fairly blatant bullying, and ostracism. Jensen had no wish to deal with that crap, and now that he was a business owner, he was even more reluctant to be out. He was convinced that his students/customers would leave the studio if they knew their instructor was gay. And the parents of the younger students? No doubt those parents would leave in droves. Jensen shivered at the thought - he loved his dojo and he loved teaching karate, and he was not about to put any of that in jeopardy for no reason.

As far as dating went, what dating Jensen had done had been in Houston, a good ways away from home base in Austin. He didn't want to take any chances on locals seeing him with another man on a date. The gay bars he'd gone to for hookups were also in Houston - Jensen hadn't wanted to do any playing around in his own backyard. Chris had been alongside Jensen through some of Jensen's more unfortunate dating experiences, not that there had been very many to begin with. There'd been the clingy twink, and the other twink who turned out to be a cokehead. Bears often tried to hit on Jensen, because of his pretty face and sexy lips, but they weren't Jensen's type. The problem with hookups was everyone just wanted to scratch an itch or play a role. Jensen appreciated sex as much as the next guy - he had as much testosterone and sexual desire as any man, heterosexual or otherwise - but he wanted some substance to go along with it. Trouble was, substance and hookups were pretty much polar opposites. Playing in the home field with Jared? This was going to be a first, and as much as he might want it, Jensen was going to have to handle it very carefully.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared was pretty good about getting up early in the morning, even on a day with late classes, but on Tuesday he found himself up by 6:30. Monday night's class had been a good workout, as always, but Jensen had hardly looked at him and didn't say anything to him at all. Jared was puzzled, but resolved to go to the diner anyway. At the very least, he'd have a tasty breakfast.

Showered and shaved, he dithered about what to wear. How nice was too nice for breakfast? A breakfast you weren't sure was a date or not? In the end, he went with a navy v-neck T-shirt and snug, faded jeans. He spent a little time in front of the mirror, shaving but leaving just a hint of stubble. His hair pretty much had a mind of its own, but on the upside it was long and wavy, with caramel and chestnut highlights in the thick, dark brown mane. Jared checked through his backpack to make sure he was all prepared for classes, as he would head to the campus directly after breakfast. Then he did some assigned reading for an hour, since he was all ready to go but didn't want to arrive stupidly early.

Jensen's car was in the parking lot when Jared pulled up. He grabbed his backpack and walked into the diner, smiling a hello to Sam, the diner's owner. Sam had that warm, motherly personality that gave the diner a homey feeling. Before she could offer to seat Jared, Jensen was already waving - in fact, he slid out of the booth to greet Jared. Jared couldn't decide if he was uncomfortable or flattered by the thought that Jensen wanted to make a good impression on him. He went with flattered, with a little blushing on the side.

"Hey, Jared, how are you this morning? I took the liberty of ordering coffee for you," Jensen had a cup already half-empty in front of him. Jared nodded in appreciation for the coffee and added cream and sugar. "You want to hear the specials, or are you good to go?"

"I'm good to go," answered Jared, and caught Alona's eye to come take their orders. Alona was Sam's daughter, and worked at the diner alongside her mother while studying criminal justice at UT Austin.

"There," said Jensen. "Now we can chill a bit." He smiled brightly. "It's cool to see you outside of the dojo, Jared. You look great."

"Uh, thanks, Jensen." Jared sipped coffee and hoped his stomach wouldn't start rumbling before the food arrived.

"Did you have a good time after graduation?"

"Oh, yeah, it was great, a lot of fun," Jared flashed a quick smile, noticing how Jensen appeared to relax a little. God, if he could just think of what to say to his gorgeous breakfast date. If it was a date. Was it? Jared felt incapable of saying anything interesting. "Why didn't you talk to me at all last night, in class?" Oh God, great conversation, Jared, confront the man about ignoring you! That's some hot date talk right there.

Jensen's face fell. "Oh, gee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to not talk to you. I guess - well, I just - damn, Jared, I'm not sure how to put this." Jensen drank some coffee, and then the food arrived.

Jared felt flustered, since clearly something was up with Jensen, but he was also starving. Apparently Jensen was too, and the two men ate for several minutes, with speaking limited to "More syrup?" and "Pass the salt" and other phrases of that nature.

As the food disappeared, the conversation began again. Jensen picked at the fruit garnish left on his breakfast plate, his eyes fixed on his fork. "Jared, I really didn't mean to ignore you last night, and I'm sorry if that's how it came across. I'm having a bit of a hard time in class, and it's messing with my game. There's so much to keep track of during class - the actual instructing, watching everyone, catching problems and correcting them. It's a lot, but I know how to do it . . . most of the time. If I get distracted, it gets a lot harder. It's like, I can keep the plates spinning until one falls, and after that I'm chasing the rest. Does that make sense?" He lifted his eyes and looked at Jared directly.

"Yeah, sure, I get that. So, are you saying you're getting distracted in class, Jensen? What's breaking your concentration?"

Jensen bit his plump, lower lip, seemingly unaware of how enticing that was. Jared got lost for a second as he wished he were biting it.

"You, Jared. You're breaking my concentration. I'm totally fucking distracted by you, and last night I was trying to get past that. It came out as ignoring you, and I so did not mean it that way. God, Jared, I could never ignore you."

Jensen's eyes were shining as he gazed at Jared, a hint of a smile curling the corners of those pink, full lips. Jared's heart decided this was a good time to start beating twice as fast as normal, while the rest of his body was paralyzed. "Jensen, are you . . . are you gay? Like, you don't date women?"

Jensen chuckled. "Yeah, Jay, I'm gay. Like, no women. Now, I'm not really out - my family knows, a couple of close friends. That's it. I am not out at the dojo, I don't know what the student and parent reaction would be like, and frankly I choose not to test it. Basically, I am not out to the rest of the world. But I am gay, I like men, and I like you, Jared. I like you a lot. Is that okay?"

Jared's paralysis lifted enough for him to swallow and promptly choke. He coughed and sipped some water, while Jensen sat and waited in a good imitation of relaxation. Jared might have bought it, except he saw Jensen's fingers shredding the paper place mat, while underneath the table, his leg was vibrating. The question in those green eyes was clear.

"Yeah, dude, yeah. It's more than okay." Jared's face split with a huge grin. "It's so okay, you don't even know." He laughed with sheer joy and relief. "Dude, I've had a fucking crush on you since I was thirteen! Back when you were on the Dragon Patrol!" He suddenly quieted. "Damn, I can't believe this conversation is happening!"

Jensen grinned from ear-to-ear. "Oh, it's happening, all right! You had me pretty nervous there, Jay." He bumped Jared's legs under the table with his knees. "Does this mean you'd like to go out with me? Do the dating thing?" He waggled his eyebrows, making Jared snort with laughter.

"Oh, man, cut that out! You look deranged!"

"Hey, don't mock me! I can kill you with my pinkie!" Jensen flicked a piece of home fries at Jared.

They laughed and joked for a bit longer, enjoying the euphoria of the newly dating, and then Jensen calmed down. "I know I'm clowning around here, but I really am psyched that you want to go out with me, Jared. I hope this is okay, but I'm asking if we can keep this on the down-low, particularly at the dojo and at events like the tournament. Is that all right?"

"Yeah, that's okay. I understand your concerns about the business. I'm pretty much out, but I'm not necessarily carrying a banner around or wearing rainbow suspenders. We can be discreet, and then - well, we'll just take it as it goes?"

"Deal." They shook, and Jared was struck again by how warm and firm Jensen's hand was. He was gripped with a quiet excitement, now that they were really going to be together. He looked at Jensen and found the other man staring at him. Their eyes locked, and Jared felt time stop. There was nothing but Jensen's beautiful green eyes, little flecks of gold shining in them like treasure glinting in a dark mine. Jensen was smiling softly, showing his own dimples, albeit smaller ones than Jared's. Jared studied the tiny freckles on Jensen's eyelids, the thick, dark brush of his eyelashes, the ever-so-slight bend in his nose that helped give his face such character. Jared's hand crept forward and, ever so lightly, rested on Jensen's, Jared's long fingers delicately tracing Jensen's shorter ones. Jensen closed his eyes at the caress, breathing deeply before a shiver coursed through him. His eyes opened again and he regarded Jared with awe.

"Damn . . . if that's what you do to me with just a touch on my hand, what's going to happen when we . . ."

It was Jared's turn now to shiver, his own eyes widening as the impact of Jensen's sentence sunk into him. He felt the electricity between them, felt how Jensen's hand fitted into his, how his skin and Jensen's skin sparked and hummed against each other. "I think . . . I think we better take it slow, so we don't spontaneously combust or something," he said with a slow grin. "It's a hell of a way to go, but I'd rather have as much time together as we can."

Jensen nodded, turning his hand over and squeezing Jared's before slowly withdrawing it to the safety of his coffee cup. It was empty, and he signaled for more coffee. Alona brought them each a piece of pie along with refills. "Mom just baked this apple ginger crumb pie, so here you guys go. On the house," she said, putting the plates down in front of them, and she winked as she fetched the coffee pot.

Jared cleared his throat. He didn't want to break the spell, but on the other hand, they were still at the diner - it was probably a good idea to cool off a little. He went for a change of subject. "So tell me about this tournament you keep bringing up. What do I need to know?"

Jensen began explaining the tournament to Jared. "The tournament is inter-state, and we have probably about 500 people attend. Competition is by age and rank, to keep the field level for everyone, and you can compete in forms, sparring, or weapons. Or all three, if you want. So if you sign up, you be competing against other students at your rank and around your age." Jensen stopped to take a bite of pie. "Oh damn, that's good! Hey, Sam! This is excellent!" Sam smiled and waved back from the other end of the diner before she walked back into the kitchen. "I think that's it in a nutshell. What do you think?"

Jared was busy inhaling the best pie he'd ever had, despite the big breakfast not too long ago. "Oh! Yeah, it sounds pretty cool! I guess I just wonder if I'm ready for something like that, y'know?"

Jensen shook his head and said, "That's the thing - you'd only be competing against other blue belts. That's it. See? You're ready. Sure, you're going to train for it, but you don't have to magically be perfect overnight."

Jared thought it over for a few minutes as Jensen finished his piece of pie. "Okay, Jensen, I'll give it a shot. After all," he winked at Jensen, "I do have the best teacher around!"


	5. Chapter 5

Jared's next two months were filled with training for the karate tournament. Whenever Jared wasn't in class or studying, he was at the dojo. He picked his form to compete with and practiced it over and over. It was a challenging form, with several short sequences and around twenty detailed steps. Jensen coached him, constantly refining Jared's performance, correcting and drilling him on the various movements. He taught Jared different ways to approach the form, focusing on the separate elements of speed, balance, precision, or power. Ultimately, all of those elements would be combined, creating a fully rounded, well-balanced performance. 

Jared also decided to compete in sparring - the one-on-one combat held in a ring, with the participants in padded hand and foot gear as well as padded helmets. Jared's immediate advantages were his height and his long limbs; he could reach his opponent easily and stay far enough from them to block them from scoring on him. His weaknesses were strategy, as this was new to him, and speed, as long limbs didn't necessarily mean that they were fast limbs.

Jared found he enjoyed sparring a lot. He hadn't done it back when he took classes as a teen, so it was completely new and quite exciting. Even with the padded gear, bruises were not uncommon, but everyone accepted that as par for the course. And Jared only forgot his cup one time; that was all it took for him to learn never to forget it again. Jensen was sympathetic . . . once he stopped laughing. Jared couldn't really blame him. He'd played enough sports to know better!

Outside of the dojo, Jared and Jensen saw each other as often as possible. Jensen worked a lot of hours, so Jared's training at least gave them time together inside the studio, but they were careful to keep their relationship on a platonic footing there. Outside The Silver Dragon, they could be more relaxed. Jensen was completely shy about any PDA, but that didn't faze Jared. He didn't need to hold Jensen's hand as they walked down the street to feel the bond growing between them. And at Jared's apartment, or Jensen's townhouse? They had all the freedom they wanted. Jared could come up behind Jensen as he cooked something on the stove, wrapping his arms around the shorter man, pulling his body against his chest while he kissed and nibbled on Jensen's neck. Jensen could sit next to Jared on the couch and slowly inch himself over until he was lodged firmly between Jared's legs, his head resting on his shoulder as they watched TV.

As they moved into more intimate touching, it turned out that both men were cuddlers, although their approaches differed. Jared freely accepted the designation of cuddler, blatantly draping himself over and around Jensen at the least provocation like an affectionate octopus. Jensen, however, denied it, even as he snuggled into Jared's side while they sat on the couch. Jensen moved subtly, edging closer and closer to Jared while he pretended nothing was happening, or changing his position like a ninja and then looking at Jared with wide-eyed innocence when Jared called him on it. All of these cuddling shenanigans led to lots of kissing in various styles: quick, fun little kisses on the fly; soft, romantic ones where lips pressed together in tender, lingering caresses; and scorching ones, with mouths urgently opened and searching tongues tangling hotly. The scorching ones left them both breathless, their lust-darkened eyes locked as they tried to gauge when to stop.

Jared had been openly gay longer than Jensen, but hardly done anything outside of some kissing and a couple of hasty hand jobs, while Jensen - despite being more closeted - was nonetheless older and had more experience. He told Jared that he didn't want to make Jared feel pressured into doing anything before he felt ready for it. Jared was falling harder and harder all the time for Jensen, his feelings running far beyond his original boyhood crush. Jared felt more sure all the time that he wanted to do everything with his gorgeous boyfriend, including fucking each other. He hadn't ruled out fucking Jensen - Jared had no idea if he tended toward topping or bottoming yet - but he knew he wanted Jensen to fuck him first.

Now he just had to talk Jensen into it.

After Jared came in his jeans a couple of times just from making out with Jensen, they quickly moved on to mutual hand jobs. Jensen told Jared that his orgasms from their make-out sessions were both adorable and hot as hell. After that, they often found themselves sprawled on the couch, jeans and boxers shoved down, shirts pushed up or pulled off. No hickeys or bites were allowed - nothing potentially visible. But Jensen was so tempting and delicious that Jared didn't mind that restriction at all. He was more than happy just to run his fingers over's Jensen's smooth skin, kissing and licking as he explored his boyfriend.

Jared loved Jensen's body, sleek and packed with well-defined muscle, fair skin covered in those tiny, tempting freckles he'd wanted to taste back when he was thirteen. He ran his hands over his boyfriend, continually marveling at the silken skin stretched over hard muscular planes. He sucked eagerly on Jensen's small nipples, coaxing them into hard, red points as Jensen moaned, the older man arching his back as if chasing Jared's mouth. Jensen's stiff cock slid right into Jared's big hand, Jared's long fingers rubbing under the fat head, his thumb swiping through the pre-come leaking out and smoothing it down the velvety shaft. Every hitch of Jensen's breath elated Jared, thrilling him with the concrete evidence of the effect he had on his boyfriend. Hearing Jensen's soft sounds, those little moans and grunts with Jared's name mixed in, fall liquidly from Jensen's mouth as Jared kissed his neck and licked behind his ear made Jared tingle and his hard cock leak profusely. 

Jensen fully reciprocated Jared's desire, and his eagerness almost surprised Jared. He was used to a certain reserve on Jensen's part when they were in public, plus Jared simply had never thought of himself as being desirable or hot. Now that they were together, Jensen dropped that reserve and clearly showed how much he did desire Jared. He licked and tasted every inch of Jared's neck and torso, driving Jared crazy with his lips and tongue and teeth. His strong hands rubbing and massaging Jared's pecs and arms. He practically kissed the breath out of Jared, his mouth moving and sucking on Jared's swollen lips as his fingers pinched and rolled Jared's sensitive nipples, making Jared whine helplessly while his cock jerked and stiffened. Jared brokenly begged Jensen for more, _please_ more, more _anything_ , as he clutched at Jensen's strong arms, rutted his groin against Jensen's pronounced hip grooves, reveled in the voluptuous sensation of Jensen's satiny skin sliding against his. Jared's long arms and large hands made it easy to grab Jensen's tight, round ass when Jensen was busy kissing and mouthing on him, pulling Jensen tightly against his own hips so they could grind their erections against each other. Feeling how hard Jensen was underneath his boxers was completely intoxicating to Jared - _he_ did that to his sexy boyfriend. Jensen wanted _Jared_ like that, _only_ Jared. Jared couldn't believe how lucky he was.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen lay in bed, purportedly organizing his thoughts about his tournament practice the day before. That focus quickly dissipated under a happier influence; namely, recollections of fooling around with Jared last night. Concentrating on kicks, punches, and controlled breathing was impossible when memories and pictures of a mostly naked, lustful Jared kept intruding. Jensen shifted on his bed, feeling heat seeping into his groin as he envisioned Jared's messy hair, damp tendrils clinging to the sides of his face and neck, his eyes narrowed while he gasped air in through moist, pink lips. Jesus, he was so tempting, so enticing, and he had no idea of the torment he inflicted on Jensen. Jensen dreamed of being completely naked with his boy, having their bodies in full skin-on-skin contact with each other, and then - Jensen entering Jared, sinking his cock deep into Jared's hole, sharing that heat and ecstasy with his lover until they both screamed.

The bedroom felt very hot suddenly, and Jensen ran a hand over his forehead to wipe some sweat off. He was sweaty all over, his skin moist and hot, and his sleep pants were tented like he was hosting Ringling Brothers. He groaned as he pressed a hand against his stubborn dick, but all he could think of was how big Jared's hands were, those huge hands with the long fingers. Jensen wanted very badly to have some of those long fingers up his ass right this damn minute. It seemed that the only thing he liked fantasizing about better than fucking Jared, was being fucked by Jared. Jensen hadn't considered himself much of a catcher before, but damn if he didn't want it both ways with that man.

Jared was a virgin, although being a virgin was not a problem in and of itself. Jensen simply didn't want to push Jared too hard; he didn't want to coerce the younger man into moving faster than he was comfortable with. Jensen might have to jerk off daily, but he was going to let Jared set the pace for their intimacy. He'd much rather be horny with a tired hand than have a stressed or unhappy boyfriend.

Jensen was very happy being with Jared. They were getting to know each other better all the time. Dating someone in the same city - in fact, just a few blocks away - was so much easier than anything Jensen had previously experienced, and it meant they had so much more time to actually spend together. Jensen felt very grateful that Jared didn't mind keeping their relationship behind closed doors. To the outside world, they appeared to just be good friends. Jensen was careful not to touch Jared familiarly in public, avoiding hugs, kisses, or any questionable contact. They worked out together, Jared continued training and taking classes at the dojo, they ate out and went to movies together - just like any best friends. Actually being with Jared, having a real relationship like this, made Jensen feel that he had even more to lose if they came out than when such a relationship was merely theoretical. Before, the only thing he feared losing was his dojo; now, he also had Jared. Jensen planned to keep both the dojo and Jared as safe as possible . . . by staying under wraps.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared wanted to take another step forward in their sex life, but he felt unsure of himself. He was acutely aware of his lack of experience, and he worried about disappointing Jensen. He really wanted to talk to someone, get some advice, and finally he realized who it was that he could talk to. He sent a text, suggesting a lunch date for the next day.

The next day, Jared was sitting outside at a picnic table on the University grounds. He had two foam boxes from the diner, two water bottles, and a thermos of coffee with cups. He flipped through some study notes as he waited, enjoying the early spring sunshine and fresh air. He looked up with a smile as his lunch date sat at the table.

"Hey, Sandy, thanks for having lunch with me!"

Sandy positively twinkled back at him. "Of course, honey bun! I haven't seen you in a little while, so I was happy to get your text! I missed you!" She opened her lunch box, oohing appreciatively at the turkey club on rye with crispy bacon sticking out, a generous pickle wedge on the side. "The Roadhouse?"

"Of course! Accept no substitutes!" Jared opened his lunchbox and promptly took a big bite of his own club sandwich. They both ate hungrily for a few minutes.

Sandy wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "So, first talk to me about what you need to talk about, and then you can tell me all about how Jensen and you are doing. I'm guessing you're doing pretty good, which is why we haven't seen much of you." She winked at Jared.

Jared put his sandwich down, suddenly nervous. "Yeah, we're doing great. He's - God, he's so great, Sandy. He seemed kinda serious at first, but now? He's so funny! He's dry, he's got this dry fucking wit, and then sometimes he gets really silly, and it slays me because you'd never think it of him. And sweet, so sweet and cuddly. Oh God, don't ever tell him I told you that, okay? He can kill me with his pinkie!"

Sandy laughed. "No sweat! I won't give away your secrets! What's on your mind then? Clearly you don't need any relationship advice."

Jared could feel the blush creeping into his cheeks. "It's not boyfriend advice, but it's still advice. See, I never really dated in California, so Jensen is my first boyfriend. And that's okay, he knows that and he's patient with me when I'm clueless. But that also means I have very limited experience with - with sex."

Sandy's eyes widened. "Wow, Jared, I didn't realize that. Well, fortunately you scored a smoking hot boyfriend, so points to you. Would you be better off having this conversation with Chad?"

Jared shook his head vigorously. "No, Chad can't help me with this. See, what I want to know about is - oh God, this is so embarrassing," and Jared covered his face for a second while Sandy waited quietly, not wanting to increase his anxiety. He dropped his hands and looked right at Sandy, "It's about blow jobs. I want to know about how to give a blow job. I want to blow Jensen, but Jensen's done everything before, and I don't have any idea how to do it, and I don't want to suck at it. No pun intended. And I watched porn, of course, but I don't know what's real and what's for show when they're doing it, you know?"

Sandy's eyes widened. "Oh! Yeah, I don't think Chad could help you with this, not that he doesn't like to get a bj! And you're absolutely right about the porn, easily half of that is nonsense." She giggled, winking at Jared, who groaned and blushed. "Well, okay. I can't entirely tell you how to blow Jensen, because a lot of it is going to come from you, as you guys are uh, in the moment, you know? It's _your_ love, _your_ desire, that plays a big part, just like all sex, and that's all from _you_. Like - well, you guys are probably giving each other hand jobs, right?" Jared blushed redder but nodded. "So you and Jensen could do the exact same movements while you're jerking each other off, but it's gonna be different with how he's feeling and how you're feeling, and your personalities. Get what I mean?"

"Yeah, yeah I do. That makes sense."

"I guess people would say to do what you like, but I'm assuming this means you've never received a blow job, besides not having given one?" Jared ducked his head, and Sandy patted his tousled hair. "That's okay, honey. I think this is really special and sweet. You're going to have all these firsts with Jensen, and I think that makes you really lucky." Jared reached his hands up and squeezed hers, finally raising his head and looking at her. She smiled at him. "It's okay, Jared. It really is."

He groaned. "Nineteen-year-old virgin, never had a blow job. I feel so lame."

She laughed and kissed his head. "Stop! You're not lame. You're very sweet, and you're crazy hot, and you're going to have flaming hot sex with your incredibly hot boyfriend! Now, allowing for personal preferences as they develop, here are some things you can keep in mind when you're ready to go down on him." And she went on to calmly relate tips on fellatio, including the use of spit, dealing with teeth, and common hot spots on the male organ. Jared was embarrassed at first, but as she went on, he got absorbed in her words. He also got a pretty good boner, but he was able to hide it by pulling his windbreaker over his lap.

After his lunch date with Sandy, Jared still felt a little nervous about giving his first blow job, but he also couldn't wait to get home and try it out on Jensen.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

It thrilled Jensen when Jared said that he felt ready to try this next step, and he made sure to demonstrate enthusiastically to his boyfriend how pleasurable it could be. Jared took the plunge himself with a little coaching and encouragement from Jensen. It was messy and a little awkward at first; Jared didn't anticipate dealing with so much spit, and teeth were a bit problematic until he got the hang of covering them. As he relaxed more, he found sucking off his boyfriend to be sensual and exciting; an act rewarding both in pleasure and intimacy. Jensen's dick was as gorgeous and sexy as the rest of his body. Thick and a good length, crowned with a well-shaped mushroom head, it flushed a deep red as Jensen's excitement built.

Jared loved how it filled his mouth, twitching hard against his tongue as he sucked and worked it. Beads of pre-come swelled on the tip until he sucked them away, dipping the tip of his tongue delicately into the slit and making Jensen whimper brokenly.

After swapping their first blow jobs, Jared was left with no doubt about how much Jensen enjoyed oral sex in general, whether he was giving or receiving it. When Jared had Jensen's cock in his mouth, Jensen was boneless, his body and limbs completely relaxed until his orgasm was close. His cock was rock hard, veins bulging, jerking helplessly under the ministrations of Jared's tongue and lips. When it was Jensen's turn to perform, his concentration on the task at hand was single-minded. He sucked and tongued Jared with a focus and skill that had Jared coming embarrassingly fast the first few times. The promise those plump lips held was fulfilled and then some. Jared was a very, very happy young man.

At the dojo, tournament training continued. A dozen other adult students were competing, as well as many of the children. The emphasis in all the classes was on tournament forms and sparring. The energy level, usually at a pretty good level anyway, was positively buzzing. Months were coming down to weeks, and all the participants were feeling the excitement growing as the days counted down.

Jensen was very busy overseeing all the competing students' preparation. In addition to that, he had his own practicing to do. He was competing with other instructors in forms and sparring, just like the students were. A week before the tournament, as everyone strove to polish up their routines, Jensen performed his form for every single class in the dojo. Children and adult students alike were completely impressed how strong and graceful their instructor was, and were even more motivated to do the very best they could themselves.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Friday, the day before the tournament, was full of tasks and preparation. A big truck came to the dojo to move the large rubber floor mats to the exhibition hall. The schedules and scorecards for the competitors were handed out. The registration forms were put in a box to be used for check-in tomorrow. The dojo itself was closed, as Jensen wanted to concentrate on making sure everything was ready.

The exhibition hall was two hours away, so most competitors spent the night before at the attached hotel. Jared and Jensen were likewise spending the night there, although in separate rooms. For the first time, Jared pulled out his puppy eyes and silently begged Jensen to let them stay together. "Baby, I can't. I'm sorry, I am. Not there. We can go on vacation afterward, and have all the wild hotel sex we want, okay? But not now, not there," Jensen explained softly as he looked into Jared's eyes. "Please, sweetheart, please tell me you understand?"

Jared dropped his eyes and nodded. He did understand, and he knew it had nothing to do with how much Jensen loved him. Jensen was just too scared to take that risk, and it wasn't Jared's place to make him. If it really bothered Jared, then he'd have to decide what to do about it. Right now, it really didn't bother him too much; Jared had just wanted a night or two with his lover in a nice hotel, and that was not a deal breaker.

Instead, Jared shared a room with Matt Cohen, a friend from class. They carpooled as well, driving to the hotel together on Friday afternoon. Jared wouldn't see Jensen until later that evening. The rubber mats had been unloaded and set up to make a dozen rings for competing in. Students and instructors from all over milled around the hall and the hotel, many of them greeting competitors they'd met at previous tournaments. No events were planned, so people just got settled and enjoyed being social.

Jared saw Jensen a few times as the hall was being set up, but they only exchanged a quick smile. Jared and Matt joined the other adult competitors from the Silver Dragon for dinner, where stories from other tournaments were told and many last-minute tips traded. At one point, Jared saw Jensen come in to the restaurant with a group of instructors, including Chris Kane and Dani Harris. Jared couldn't help feeling wistful for a moment that he couldn't just go over to his boyfriend and give him a hug. He caught himself staring and quickly dropped his eyes before turning away and pretending to pay attention to Matt's story. The excitement of the evening seemed dulled, and his heart ached.

"Hey, how's everybody doing tonight? You all doing okay?" Jensen's rich voice made Jared whip his head around. He hadn't seen Jensen approach their table from behind, and hearing him speak unexpectedly startled him. The others were all nodding and greeting Jensen normally, but Jared found his throat too choked up to speak. He smiled and nodded, lifting a hand to wave a little. Jensen was talking with everyone, one hand on the back of Jared's chair, one on the chair next to his. Jared looked at that hand, so strong, with its elegant fingers, Jensen's black sport watch on one wrist, his Silver Dragon t-shirt skimming his muscular body. Jared's jeans felt tight, and he silently scolded his dick for getting ideas. God, he could see the moisture on Jensen's skin, practically smell the warmth of his body from working on the set-up.

Chris came up behind Jensen. "Hey! you guys all competing tomorrow?" The many affirmative responses made the long-haired instructor smile. "Jen, you got a great turnout, dude! Well, Kane/Harris may not have as many people here, but we'll be giving y'all a run for your money! It's all friendly, though, really we're still one big family. Half a dozen of us all trained under Master Morgan, and we consider each other brothers and sisters." He clapped Jensen resoundingly on the back, making him almost fall forward into Jared's lap. Jared instinctively put his hands out to catch Jensen, and for a brief second that broad, solid chest was pressed against Jared's palms. Jensen straightened back up, and Jared's hands were left empty. He pulled them back into his lap and blinked hard to avoid tears welling up.

"You okay, Jared? Didn't mean to knock Jenny into your lap there!" Jared looked at Chris to nod that he was okay, and was startled to see one bright blue eye wink at him.

"If you just got OFF me, you ass, I wouldn't be falling anywhere! Don't think you can injure me and knock me out of the instructor's ring!" Jensen threw an elbow back at Chris, who parried it with a husky laugh.

"Oh, boys! Come on now! Save it for the ring tomorrow!" A lilting voice cut through the laughter, and Dani Harris was suddenly standing on the other side of Chris. Her red hair was loose and curling around her shoulders, and her Kane/Harris Studio t-shirt was snug over her perky breasts. Jared idly thought that if he actually liked women in that way, he would be trying to chat her up. Clearly several of the other men at the table did like women that way, as they gravitated toward her like bees to a flower. Jared, Jensen, and Chris found themselves momentarily isolated as Dani cooed and flirted with the rest of the Silver Dragon contingent.

"Thank me later," Chris muttered to Jensen. "You been pining for your boy, so now you got a minute anyway. Sorry I can't do more." He clapped Jensen on the shoulder and moved over to Dani, egging the guys on in their pursuit of the lovely redhead.

"What?" Jared was befuddled. "What was - he did that on purpose? And Dani?" He searched Jensen's face questioningly.

"Yeah, he's kind of a jerk sometimes, but he means well," Jensen said, shuffling his feet. He looked straight into Jared's eyes. "He's right, though. I was pining for my boy. It sucks seeing you across the hall, and knowing that I can't do anything about it. At home, we always have our private space to be together, but here - it's another ball game, y'know?" He took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. Jared knew he was fighting the same tears Jared was.

Jensen looked back at him. "I'm sorry, Jared, I'm so sorry. I guess we're gonna have to deal with this after all, aren't we? It's not fair to you - I can look right at you and see you're feeling the same way I am. And fuck, I just miss you. You're right there, and I wanna kiss you and hug you and tell everyone you're mine, but I just - I'm so scared." Jared saw the tears threatening in Jensen's eyes, shining brightly in those green depths. "I promise we're gonna talk about this when we get home, okay? I can't promise what's going to happen yet, but - we'll talk."

Jared was too choked up to speak, so he just nodded. He struggled to clear his throat so he could respond to Jensen. "It's - it's okay. I understand. I don't want to pressure you - I just want to be with you. It's kind of sucking here, yeah, not gonna lie. But I just want to _be_ with you, okay?"

They stood there a few more seconds but then the moment was gone as the Silver Dragon crew noisily waved goodbye to Chris and Dani. They resettled themselves around their table and called for a round of beers. Jensen told them that he would see them in the morning, and not to stay up too late but get a good night's sleep. The first rings started at 9 a.m. the next morning.

He left, and Jared felt calmer but tired. He refused a beer, just having some water instead. Three or four of the other men were talking about how hot Dani was. One guy in particular, a man about 6 feet tall with dark blonde hair and a foxy face, made several leering remarks about her, and wondered aloud about how it would be having a female instructor. Jared didn't know him too well, the man was in the class above his, but the guy's chauvinist attitude was really starting to piss him off.

"Hey, Mark, you might want to remember that "hot piece of ass", as you so fetchingly called her, is a fucking fourth degree black belt. I'd think that would make you want to keep a respectful tongue in your head," Jared said, his tone even but forceful. "I'm pretty sure those four white stripes mean that she can slice and dice you before you hit the mat."

A ripple of laughter followed Jared's words, and Mark glowered. "What's the matter, Padalecki, you going to shoot for that yourself? She's too much woman for a little boy like you. She needs a real man, someone who can really handle a spitfire like that."

Jared rolled his eyes. "No, Mark, I'm not shooting for her myself. Just because I'm telling you to chill out doesn't mean I wanna hit that. Women are not target practice."

Mark slugged down some beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "No? Maybe you'd like something like that long-haired faggot of a partner of hers instead? Is that it, Jared? You swing the other way?" His eyes were piercing as they stared at Jared, who found himself wondering how a simple "back off" had turned into an attack on himself.

"Jesus, Pellegrino, put a lid on it. Jared's got a point - she's not a fucktoy, and she can beat the crap outta you besides. C'mon, we're here for the tournament - just freakin' relax!" Jared's roommate, Matt, turned away from the table and slung his arm over Jared's shoulders. "Let's hit the hay, roomie! We need an early breakfast to fuel up for our matches!" He pulled on Jared and led him away from the table and the glowering Mark.

"Damn! What an asshole!" Matt said as they approached the elevator. He shook his head as he slipped his arm from Jared's shoulders.

"Seriously! I can't believe how that escalated! Do you know him at all? What a jerk!" Jared ran his hand through his hair. "That was just wacko!"

"Yeah, it was. I don't know him much at all, but I've certainly never saw him like that. I'd say, just stay out of his way, you know?"

Jared snorted. "I plan to, believe me!"


	6. Chapter 6

Jared had both his forms competition round and his sparring bout mid-morning. He was nervous as soon as he woke up. A shower and breakfast helped restore his equilibrium. He and Matt had decided the night before to have room service for breakfast, rather than deal with a crowd at the restaurant downstairs. They packed up their overnight bags after changing into their _gis_ , leaving them at the front desk while they took their gear bags with them into the exhibition hall.

Jared found his first ring, which appeared to have about a dozen other competitors so far. This was his forms round, so both men and women were competing. He began to stretch, trying to keep his breathing even as well as get a glimpse of the activity in the hall. And just maybe he was looking for Jensen.

A few more people turned up at the ring, and finally two black belts came over to get the round going. Jared didn't know one of them, a black-haired man whose instructor's jacket read Mr. Collins, but the second judge was Chris. His long brown hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail, and his white instructor's jacket was immaculate. He apparently shared a joke with Mr. Collins, who laughed heartily as he flicked his eyes at the students standing around. The blackness of Mr. Collins' hair was set off by arresting light blue eyes, currently twinkling with amusement. Jared hoped it wasn't amusement at them.

"Okay, let's get going here! I am Mr. Kane and this is Mr. Collins. We will be your judges for this round of forms. Please line up around the ring, and we'll begin."

The students lined up around the rubber mats that demarcated the ring while the judges sat down on a couple of chairs at one end. The round began with no further delay. One by one, the students marched up to the judges, performed cadence, and announced their name, dojo, and what form they were presenting. They performed their form, bowed to the judges, and resumed their place outside the ring. The judges remained impassive throughout the performances, giving no indication of their reactions.

Jared was about halfway in the line, so he watched over half a dozen other contestants go before him. A couple of people did the same form he had chosen, and he anxiously tried to decide if they had done it better than he could. Then it was his turn.

He walked up to the judges and did cadence, bowing to show his respect. "Jared Padalecki, Silver Dragon Dojo, one kata, sir!" They nodded at him to begin, and he backed up to his starting position. For the next forty-five seconds, Jared performed his form. He struck, he blocked, he kicked. He froze. He flowed. He poured everything he had into it - his strength, his coordination, his passion. And when he was done, he stood up straight, bowed to the judges, and walked out of the ring, knowing he had done his very best. He had not a single regret about anything he could have done better. As the saying went in the dojos, he "left it on the mat". However the results came out, he was good with himself, and that was both surprising and enormously satisfying to him.

He watched patiently as the others finished performing. Some were very good, some were shaky or unfocused. A couple were really, _really_ good. Jared didn't have enough perspective to tell where he ranked in the midst of all these people. Everyone waited quietly as the two judges looked over the scorecards and conferred inaudibly with each other. After a few minutes, they turned in their chairs and faced the students again.

Mr. Collins leaned forward a little as he spoke. "We have the results of the forms competition for adult intermediate students, blue belt. You all did a fine job, and reflect well on your dojos. Wherever you place here today, use it as encouragement to keep going forward in your growth as a martial artist!" 

Chris took over. "I'm going to read the names of those who did not place first, and then finish with the fourth, third, second, and first place winners. The first through fourth places will receive a trophy, so please come up to the judges to receive that." He began to read the names. One by one, the students who didn't place moved to one side of the mat. Jared didn't know if he should hope to place or not. All he knew is that fewer and fewer people were standing with him.

"Fourth place - Anna Sysnek!" Applause as a tall, willowy girl accepted her trophy.

"Third place - Bill Teller!" A short man with a muscular body and a ginger beard claimed his prize.

Jared's mind was reeling a bit. It was him and one other left - seriously? He had placed first or second?

"Second place - Jared Padalecki!" Holy crap, he placed! He placed second! Jared stepped forward and accepted his trophy, a shiny gold piece with the tournament name and seal at the top. A nameplate saying "Second Place in Forms" with space for his name was on the bottom. He stood there stunned, oblivious to the announcing of the first place winner. A couple of pictures were taken, and then the judges left the ring, moving to their next assignment as the students gathered up their things and looked for their next ring as well.

Jared stood on the side for a minute, simply admiring his trophy. He really couldn't believe it. Then a bell signifying the end of the round rang, and he looked up, scanning the hall for the ring his next event was in. As he started walking down the aisle, he wished very badly that he could find Jensen and share this amazing news with him. He hadn't seen Jensen at all this morning, with the amount of activity and the number of people moving around.

Now it was time for his sparring round, so Jared hurried, anxious to get to his ring. As soon as he got there, he opened his gear bag and began to put on his sparring equipment. Padded feet, then his padded helmet, and finally his padded hands. He fished out his mouthpiece and just hung onto it for now. Once again, the contestants lined up around the mat and waited.

Jared cast a few quick glances to see who he knew in his ring. Fewer people sparred than did forms, plus sparring was separated into men and women, so there was a wider range of belts here. Matt was here, and he nodded at Jared. There were a few other Silver Dragons, and Jared was unpleasantly surprised to see Mark Pellegrino among them. Jared didn't know how they worked the pairing for sparring, but he fervently hoped he would not have to fight the obnoxious Pellegrino.

"Contestants, are you ready? I am Mr. Ackles, and I'll be the lead judge on this ring. Co-judging with me is Ms. Harris. We will be sparring by brackets, so that means the final four contestants will be the placers. Matches will go to five points, unless one person has a lead of three and then that match will be called. You will keep safety in mind at all times. You will heed the judges' calls at all times. And finally, when you hear "up!" you will stop immediately and return to your starting position. Is everyone clear on these points?" A chorus of "yes sirs!" resounded. "If you do not have your full equipment, you must step back now. Full gear is mandatory to participate, and that includes your mouthguard and your cup! Is everyone clear?" At a final chorus of assent, Jensen began to make pairs of the contestants, looking to start off with matches as even by belt and age as possible.

Jared's heart was pounding. He was thrilled to finally see Jensen, but nervous as hell that Jensen was judging the sparring. He had no fear that Jensen would favor him - the man had far too much integrity for that. Jared just wanted to do well in front of his boyfriend. He shook his head at himself, knowing that he need to focus on the event now. He bounced lightly on his feet, feeling loose from his form, channeling his nervous energy into straight adrenaline.

"Mr. Padalecki, you will be paired for your initial round with Mr. Cohen," Jensen said, resting his hand on Jared's shoulder for a second as he signaled for Matt to come over. Jared and Matt grinned at each other and high-fived their padded paws. Jared felt electricity from Jensen's brief touch, and it triggered a surge of eagerness to get into the ring.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Matt put his head close to Jared, saying softly, "Okay, dude - I know we're both gonna go for it, so don't hold back. I know you're gonna fight fair, and so will I, but let's make it count!" Jared nodded and gently thumped his hand pad on Matt's helmet, making the other man smile before they high-fived again.

The first match was over quickly, as the one contestant got his three points in a row. The second match was longer, and Jared was torn between finding it an interesting watch and wanting to get in there himself. Finally that match ended, and then it was time for Jared and Matt. They waited for the "Go!" from Jensen, and then they were bouncing and circling, throwing some test punches and kicks to feel each other out a little. Jared attacked first, leaping toward Matt and flicking some fast punches at him. Jensen called "up!", waiting until the fighters returned to their starting positions before awarding the point to Jared. The two men were a good match as Jared scored, then Matt scored, both men working hard to block each other while still trying to score. In the end, Jared was the victor, leading the match 5-4. He and Matt bowed and high-fived, leaving the ring free for the next match.

"Damn, Padalecki, that was awesome! Best I've seen you spar, dude!" Matt gasped out as he pulled his helmet off. Jared took his off too, knowing he had several minutes now before his second match. He gulped half a bottle of water down, feeling drenched inside his _gi_ and his gear.

"You were terrific, Matt. I really thought you were gonna get it first!" Jared said. Fortunately he'd thrown a hand towel into his sparring bag, and he wiped it over his face and head as he cooled off a little. They watched the other matches, and then Jensen announced the second bracket. 

Jared's next opponent was Mark Pellegrino.

Jared was shocked. He looked at Matt, who was looking at him with the same surprised expression on his face. Jared closed his mouth and grit his teeth, slipping his helmet back on. The bout with Matt had been a good challenge, but Jared had been well aware of the mutual respect he and Matt shared. He felt there would be no such mutual regard with Mark. This match was going to be tough all the way.

He popped his mouthguard back into his mouth and stepped back into the ring. Mark stood across from him, grinning in an unfriendly way. Jensen stood on the side and barked "Go!" and the two men sprang toward each other. Jared felt a blow on the side of his helmet and heard Jensen's voice call "Up!" He moved back to his place as anger seethed inside him. The blow was fair, a scoring strike in fact, but it had been much more forceful that usually allowed. Jensen reminded them to mind the contact, and restarted the match with "Go!" again.

Jared knew the match was only a matter of minutes. While it went on, though, it felt like time moved like molasses. Jared was constantly blocking, evading, locked into a defensive position. Mark was so aggressive, so fast, that Jared couldn't take a second to strike a blow without opening himself for a point. Mark scored a second point, and Jared panicked. He knew if Mark scored one more point, the match was over. He pushed himself to be faster, launching himself at the other man, and managed to get a point on Mark. He saw the other man's eyes narrow in anger. They circled each other a moment, catching their breath, and then Mark came at him again. As Mark moved past Jared, lashing out with a hook kick, he whispered viciously, "Fucking faggot!"

Jared managed to block the kick in time, but he was stunned. What the hell was that? He glanced nervously at Jensen, wondering if Mark really knew anything or if it was just bullshit left over from the night before. Pellegrino was moving in and moving out, throwing out kick after kick, and once again Jared was on the defensive. Again and again, whenever he came close enough, Mark whispered curses and slurs, calling Jared faggot again, queerboy, ass licker, and the like. As pressed as Jared felt physically, he felt even more set upon by the verbal attack. He knew Jensen couldn't hear what was going on, and Jared was too unfamiliar with tournament sparring to know if he could just stop the match. Jared didn't even want to stop it - he just wanted to hand Mark his head on a platter. He grew angrier and angrier, punching out harder, blocking solidly so he could try slipping a kick under Mark's guard, and constantly moving to make Mark chase him.

Ultimately, though, Mark's greater sparring experience paid off, and despite Jared scoring a couple of points along the way, Mark hit five points first and won. Jensen announced Mark as the winner, and they had to bow and high-five, even though it was the last thing Jared wanted to do. He was shaking as he left the ring, ripping his helmet off and wiping his face with his towel to give himself a chance to calm down. Matt came up next to him, asking if he was all right, and Jared just shook his head. "Later, man. Can't now." Matt nodded sympathetically, patting him on the back and then turning to watch the next match.

Jared didn't place in sparring, but he didn't care. He knew he had sparred well for his experience level, and he was well-satisfied with that. The only fly in the ointment was losing to Mark and his nasty tongue. Jared looked at him as he held up his second place trophy, crowing about his win, and then just walked away.

Now that his bouts were done, Jared could relax and enjoy the rest of the tournament as a spectator. Different rounds were going on all day - the various kids' rounds, the other age brackets of the adults. There were some weapons rounds where students demonstrated their ability with long, slender bo staffs, whirling nunchucks, or kamas with their short, curved blades. Creative weapons took that to the next level, with routines designed by the students themselves instead of set forms, performed to various rock or classical pieces. Jared made a mental note about looking into that, it looked amazing. He hung around with various Silver Dragon friends, wandering the hall at will. Now and then he saw Jensen judging at this ring or that, and he stopped to watch from a distance. Jensen looked so calm, so competent and professional, and Jared fell a little more in love with him right there.

By late afternoon, most of the student competitions were done. On one side of the hall, the mats were rearranged to make a much larger ring. Now it was time for the instructors' competitions, and Jared was enormously excited to watch Jensen compete. Along with Matt and half a dozen others from their dojo, they found a good vantage spot and waited.

First up was the instructors' creative weapons round. Only four or five men and women were participating, and they lined up with their bo staffs and broadswords. Jensen stood among them with his bo staff, a narrow rod slightly longer than he was tall. The two broadsword competitors went first, and then the three bo staffs. Jensen was second to last, and Jared felt as nervous as if it were him.

Finally Jensen's turn was up, and he went into the middle of the ring, bowed, and waited. The first bars of his music began and Jensen started to move. Jared was riveted. Jensen twirled the staff, swung it wide, snapped into various attacking positions. He ran and flipped in the air as he tossed it, catching it and snapping to position on one knee. The bo staff was coated in a prismatic silver finish, and as Jensen spun it deftly between his hands, it sparkled and glinted in the lights. He threw it up in the air, did a back flip, and caught it on beat. The music ended, and the audience burst into applause.

Jared was completely not surprised when Jensen won first place, clapping wildly as Jensen received a two foot tall trophy.

The instructors moved on to their forms now, and the field was much larger. Over two dozen instructors surrounded the ring, quietly waiting their turns. Jared watched Chris perform, impressed by the controlled strength of the man and the concentration he brought to bear. A few turns later, it was Dani, her hair pulled back into a ponytail with cascading red curls spilling down her back. Her form was strong too, and Jared thought of Mark Pellegrino and what an asshole he was. He hoped Pellegrino was watching Dani now, so he could realize what a formidable woman she really was. Jared clapped hard for both her and Chris.

Once again, Jensen's turn was near the end. He didn't appear nervous at all, but radiated calm and focus as he stepped onto the mat. He bowed and then exploded into his form. Jared had seen Jensen perform his form at the school, but this was beyond that. This was brute strength paired with coiled grace, creating a whole new beast filled with energy and precision. Jared's jaw dropped - for all the times he'd seen his boyfriend move, this was a new experience. When Jensen finished, breathing hard as he bowed and retreated, his peers were all nodding to each other as they applauded. Even they were impressed.

Jared was completely not surprised when Jensen won first place, clapping wildly as Jensen received another two foot tall trophy.

It was time for the last event, the instructors' sparring.

The sparring was every bit as hard-driving as Jared figured it would be. To a man, the instructors were fast, strong, and aggressive. Jensen and Chris were paired in the first bracket, and after a couple of circles around the ring with some exploratory feints, Chris moved in at the same time Jensen did. Chris threw a backfist that landed squarely on Jensen's nose, causing him to stumble back and go down, one hand on his face. Jared gasped, as did most of the audience, and the judges - including Master Morgan - ran over to Jensen as he sat on the floor. Chris immediately knelt at the edge of the ring, facing away to show he was in a stand-down position.

Jared fidgeted anxiously, wanting to know how Jensen was. Finally the men clustered around him backed away, and Jared saw Jensen stand up. He was holding a wad of paper to his nose, most of which was stained bright red. Jared's heart thumped loudly as he tried to ascertain Jensen's condition. He seemed to be moving around okay. The judges had moved Chris to the side and gone on with the next sparring pair, to keep the matches moving. Jensen sat on a chair, but left his gear on. Jared hoped that meant everything was okay.

After the current match ended, Jared saw Master Morgan bend over Jensen. Jensen nodded and stood up, handing the bloody paper to Dani. He put his helmet back on and resumed his place in the ring, as did Chris. The two men bowed and high-fived each other, then stood still waiting for the call. Master Morgan yelled "Go!" and they were back at it.

It was pretty clear that the blow to the nose had taken the fight out of Jensen. He parried and blocked, moving around Chris steadily, but his offensive moves were not aggressive. Chris managed to score three consecutive points, and the match officially ended. Jensen and Chris hugged, after which Jensen walked out of the ring and began to remove all his gear.

Jared lost interest after that. He left his friends to circle around over where Jensen was sitting with a fresh tissue.

"Are you okay?" He couldn't get in Jensen's space, really, but he could be a student asking after his instructor. Jensen nodded before he turned to look who was asking. His eyes darkened when he saw Jared standing awkwardly, hands jammed into his jeans so he wouldn't reach out to Jensen. Jared stared anxiously at his boyfriend, trying to evaluate his condition. Bruises were already blossoming under Jensen's eyes, and there was dried blood on his face and the hand holding the tissues. "Is it still bleeding?"

Jensen shook his head. "No, it's pretty much stopped." His words were muffled, like he had a bad cold. "It's not broken, just a good smack and a bleed. Pretty much screwed my sparring round, though."

"Hey, you aced the forms and creative weapons - it's okay to leave something for someone else to win," Jared said with a half-smile. Jensen chuckled, a smile finally spreading across his face.

"Guess you got a point there, Jared." Jensen stood up slowly, moving his head around. "Neck's stiff as all get out too. I'm guessing that's the recoil from going down so hard."

Jared had to hold himself back from drawing Jensen into a hug. He stepped back just to ease the temptation. "Yeah, makes sense. Listen, I guess I gotta - I gotta go." It was getting harder by the second to restrain himself. His boyfriend was hurt, and Jared want to comfort him, hug him, kiss him and tell him he'd be okay. Instead, he had to walk away. Sudden tears pricked his eyes, and Jared looked around the hall to distract himself. "I rode here with Matt, so I guess we'll take off in a few. I'll see you back in Austin, okay?"


	7. Chapter 7

Jensen's face was throbbing dully. The initial sharp pain from the blow had eased somewhat. He felt achy from hitting the floor, and a little dazed too. He hadn't even realized what happened at first. He remembered circling Chris in the ring and thinking he was going to have to be on the ball, because Chris was awesome at sparring. There'd been some feints and then he'd swung at Chris and the next thing he knew, he was on the mat. Apparently he and Chris had attacked at the same time, he had moved right into Chris' punch, and it then landed smack on Jensen's nose. It took a while for the bleeding to stop so Jensen could get up and finish the bout. He knew he was done, but he wanted to get back up and at least finish with a little dignity. Of course, Chris felt terrible about it, and Jensen reassured him it was just what happened sometimes. Today, it happened to him. He quickly lost to Chris, and was done for the tournament.

Winning first place in both of his other competitions was fantastic, and even the unfortunate end of his sparring round couldn't dim that. He'd also had a fulfilling - if incredibly busy - time judging various events. Seeing all these people working so hard, presenting their best at the tournament. It was intense and sometimes amusing and often touching and always, _always_ inspiring.

But now it was pretty much over, and his boyfriend, whom he'd hardly seen for the duration, was looking at him with concern and love and worry written all over his face. It broke Jensen's heart to see the emotion pouring out of Jared, and Jared struggling to contain it. Jared's arms were rigid and his fists jammed into his pockets, and Jensen knew it was so Jared wouldn't grab him and hug him right there on the exhibition floor. Jensen felt terrible for forcing Jared into this pretense.

"Hey, um . . . do you have to go back to Austin tonight?" Jensen asked softly.

Jared's eyes snapped to Jensen. "Why - what's up?" he asked hesitantly. "I . . . I don't have to be back for anything in particular tomorrow."

"Cool. I thought maybe - if you wanted - see, I have my room here for another night. I thought I might be tired and I'd just stay over tonight and drive home tomorrow. You could . . . stay over with me. Everyone's pretty much clearing out tonight. So, you could . . . if you wanted."

Watching the happiness suffuse Jared's face did a lot to mend Jensen's heart.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared let Matt know he didn't need a ride back. Matt looked at him questioningly, then grinned widely. "Damn, Jared! Way to go, tiger! Be safe, okay?" And with a resounding clap on the back, Matt headed off.

Jared shook his head, smiling. Let Matt think he was hooking up with some babe from another studio. He went to the front desk and picked up his bag, then went to the elevators. Jensen had already gone up to his room, so Jared punched the button for the fifth floor.

Walking down the corridor, Jared felt highly aware of the anonymity the row of doors provided. Behind each door, someone's story was going on, and no one else knew what it was. He stopped at Jensen's door and tapped. The door flew open, and Jensen grabbed his arm and pulled him in. Immediately Jared's mouth was covered with Jensen's soft, full lips; Jensen's hard body was pressed against his, Jensen's hands were in his hair. Jared gave a little sob and wound his arms around his boyfriend, wanting to protect him, heal him, love him. He thrust his tongue back into Jensen's hot mouth, making tiny moans as Jensen's hands roved over Jared's back.

Jensen broke the kiss, stepping back and pulling so Jared followed. "Hey - guess what? There's a bed here . . ." and with that, he sat on it and dragged Jared between his legs. His hands latched on to Jared's ass, rubbing and squeezing his cheeks as he looked up into Jared's face. "Jared - we don't have to do anything you aren't ready for, okay? I thought maybe . . ."

Jared looked into Jensen's dark green eyes. "Yeah? That maybe you could fuck me tonight? 'Cause I like the sound of that . . ."

Jensen pulled Jared's face down and kissed him thoroughly, tongue plunging deep into Jared's mouth as Jensen sighed happily. Disengaging from the kiss, Jared gently pushed Jensen flat onto the bed and crawled on top of him. Jensen groaned as the weight of his boyfriend's body sank onto him, pinning him to the mattress. His hips flexed up and then it was Jared's turn to groan as Jensen's erection ground against Jared's ass. Jared's legs pressed against Jensen's hips, keeping Jensen pinned between his thighs as Jared stripped his shirt off. "Oh, fuck, Jay - you're so beautiful," Jensen murmured while his hands ran all over Jared's chest, feeling the smooth, tight skin that wrapped the curves of his pecs and shoulders. Jared smiled down, pleased by how much his boyfriend enjoyed his body as well as by the caresses.

"Yeah? You like it, baby? It's all yours," Jared's breath hitched as Jensen pinched Jared's small brown nipples, alternating rubbing circles around them with little flicks right over the nubs. He couldn't help arching his back into the teasing touches, amazed as always at how Jensen could unlock these little thrills all over his body. Jensen pulled Jared's chest down so he could lick those delicious hard nubs, running his hot, wet tongue over and around them, finally drawing them into his mouth and sucking on them, making Jared whimper and wriggle helplessly. Jared's dick was fully hard now, and he ground it against Jensen as he moaned under the exquisite torture of Jensen's nipple play.

"Get the rest of your clothes off," Jensen ordered, pushing Jared back. Jared immediately ripped at his fly, pushing his _gi_ pants and boxers down, breathing quickly as he stood anxiously by the bed. Jensen looked up at Jared as he too peeled his shirt off and pushed his sweatpants down, kicking them off his ankles. He had no boxers on, and Jared's cock stiffened even more as he looked at his gloriously naked boyfriend. His lover. Jared's head swam a minute, looking at the expanse of gorgeous skin that Jensen presented and realizing that they were about to become lovers in every sense of the word. 

"Jesus, Jen - what do you - fuck! Please, take me, Jen. Tell me what to do," Jared said in a strangled voice, quivering with excitement and anxiety. Jensen stood up and embraced him, wrapping his arms around Jared, using his entire body to calm his nervous boyfriend. Jared sighed and put his arms around Jensen as well, nestling his face into the join of Jensen's neck and shoulder. Jensen smelled so good - the clean smell of his citrusy bodywash and the indefinable essence of Jensen's natural scent helped reassure Jared he was safe here, he was okay. He reveled in the full body, skin-to-skin contact. Every inch of Jensen felt wonderful against Jared and set his own skin afire. His cock was caught between their bodies, and he instinctively rutted against Jensen's hip, feeling his needy cock run along the groove. He moaned hungrily, and Jensen caught his mouth in a deep kiss, grinding his whole body against Jared as he tongue-fucked the younger man.

"Get on the bed, Jay," Jensen growled in his ear, and in a flash Jared was lying on the mattress, erect dick pointing straight up to the ceiling. Jensen smiled and swung one leg over to straddle Jared, kissing him passionately again before moving down his body, pausing to suck and bite at Jared's sensitized nipples anew. Jared gasped as he arched his back, but Jensen was already moving further down to kiss all around Jared's cock. Jared struggled to keep still as Jensen lapped right over the head of his straining cock, groaning softly as Jensen ran his tongue down Jared's shaft. The wet heat of that tongue was the most delicious torment, and Jensen laughed as Jared moaned brokenly. "Aw, baby, you like that? Does it feel good?" He gave Jared another long lick. "You taste so good, sweetheart, so damn good. Could suck you all day long." Jensen's hand followed those plump lips as they rose and fell on Jared's straining cock. Jared picked up his head and looked, almost coming just from the sight of Jensen's darkened eyes looking up at him. He couldn't tell which was more of a turn-on, the glorious sensation of Jensen's mouth on his dick or watching those full lips encasing him, shiny with spit, wrapping around his cock and sucking it in. He put a hand in Jensen's spiky hair, unsure if he want to stop him or to fuck up into that sinful mouth.

"Oh, God, stop or it's gonna be over! Please, Jensen, please, I want you to fuck me!" Jared grabbed his cock at the base, grimacing as he squeezed hard to avert his orgasm.

Jensen laughed softly. "It's okay, Jay - we're good either way. Damn straight I'm gonna fuck you - can't wait, baby, want you so bad." He was kissing Jared's chest, his neck, his face as he murmured reassuring words. "Love you so much, want you, so gorgeous. So beautiful, Jay, gonna make you mine." Jared nodded frantically, kissing Jensen whenever his face came close enough.

Jensen slipped a hand under the pillow and pulled out a strip of condoms and a tube of lube. "Gonna get ready now - get you ready, wrap me up, and then I'm gonna be inside you, lover. Jesus, Jay, you're so hot, so fucking hot. You don't even have a clue how hot you are." As he spoke in Jared's ear, Jensen was rubbing his hole with a slick finger, going around and pressing on the ring of muscle. This was all new to Jared, and he was surprised how good it felt. Jensen saw his surprise and smiled. "Just wait, this is just the beginning. It's going to get so much better, baby." And with that, he slipped the tip of a finger inside.

Jared jumped - while he knew what was going to happen, the actuality of it was a bit shocking. It didn't hurt - in fact, it felt good, but it also felt kind of odd. He had nothing to relate the sensation to. Jensen kept moving his finger in and out, pushing it a little deeper all the time, pressing on the walls inside. Jared's mouth opened as he took a deep breath, adjusting to feeling something up his ass for the first time. Jensen kissed him as he slowly pulled the finger out. Then two fingers pressed into Jared as Jensen gently bit his nipples at the same time. The mixed sting and pleasure from the bites distracted Jared from the stretching in his ass, and he moaned as Jensen worked the fingers in and out, scissoring them to relax the tight muscles of his channel. Jared's erection faltered a little, and Jensen used his other hand to hold it and sink his mouth down, sucking and running his tongue around Jared's cock. That feeling of mixed hot and wet never failed to galvanize Jared, his cock stiffening quickly inside Jensen's seductive mouth.

Jared's ass tingled from the fingering, and his hips began to move of their own volition. His skin was slowly electrifying as little sparks radiated out from his cock and hole. He heard a little crooning, but when he looked at Jensen, his mouth was still full of Jared's sizable dick. _Oh, crap, that's me!_ he thought, embarrassed. He forgot his embarrassment when Jensen slowly pulled off his cock with slurping noises to mouth and tongue wetly around Jared's aching balls. Jared's crooning turned to moans as he lay there with his legs sprawled wide, Jensen still sitting between them as he licked all around Jared's hole while palming his balls. "Is that good, baby?" Jensen asked with a smile, watching his boyfriend fall apart. His tongue laved Jared's hole, probing into it alongside the fingers that were still sliding in and out. The fingers kept rubbing inside Jared, and suddenly they rubbed a spot that sent a jolt throughout his body.

"Holy shit! Oh, shit, Jensen, what was that?" Jared felt like he had levitated up with that jolt, and his nerves were buzzing everywhere. His dick was drooling beads of pre-come - he could see a slow trail of it sliding down to his groin.

"That's your prostate, baby boy, or as it's better known, God's gift to men," Jensen grinned.

"Goddamn! I read about it, but I never thought it would be that . . . fuck! God, Jensen, please - I'm ready. Please, baby, fuck me now!" Jared bucked his hips, one hand grabbing himself and slicking his dick with pre-come, the other hand pushing at Jensen to get up and get busy.

"Yeah? You ready for me now, ready for my cock to fuck you?" Jensen groaned as he rolled a condom onto his dick. "God, Jared, I can't wait, can't wait to be inside you." He moved to kneel at Jared's hole, giving his cock a couple of quick strokes to spread more lube on. It was Jared's first time and he was going to be tight despite the fingering. Jensen didn't want to hurt him.

"Yes, dammit! Fuck me right now, God, I'm going crazy! Please, I need it! Need you!" Jared panted, his hips unable to stop jerking, his cock bobbing with the movements. Jensen rubbed Jared's belly with one hand as he guided his dick to Jared's hole, rubbing it with the head before firmly pressing against it. Jared felt the blunt head pushing into him and thought he was going to scream when it breached, allowing Jensen to sink into him. Jensen kept pressing, more and more, and Jared thought he was going to split open with the intrusion of Jensen's fat cock. His jaw clenched and his eyes closed while he hung onto Jensen's biceps with an iron grip. It felt kind of good, feeling Jensen's heat so deep inside him, but the tightness and pain were overwhelming that goodness right now.

"Shh, it's okay . . . gonna be all better in a second, hang on, sweetheart. It's gonna be so, so good, you'll love it, I promise . . ." Jensen kept murmuring to him as he pushed and pushed in. Jared nodded jerkily, he couldn't speak, he hand to just hang on, trying to breathe.

And then Jensen was in, all the way in, his balls pressed right up against Jared's ass. He looked down at Jared, who relaxed his deathgrip on Jensen's arms. Jared opened his eyes again and saw Jensen's green ones staring down at him filled with love and concern and lust. The pain eased, and suddenly the pleasure was back, pushing the discomfort away and making Jared want to - 

"Move!" Jared huffed. "Move, Jensen!"

Jensen's face relaxed and the lust took over. "You got it, darlin'," he growled. He pulled back, dragging his dick almost all the way out until the head caught on Jared's rim, and then pushed back in hard. Faster and faster, harder and harder he pumped, his thighs and balls slapping against Jared. Jared panted and moaned, losing himself in the incredible feeling of his lover fucking him. The heat, the fullness - Jared felt completely stuffed with Jensen. He pushed his hips up, pulling his legs as wide as he could, one hand stroking himself in time with Jensen's thrusts. Jensen bent his arms and kissed Jared, licking and exploring his mouth as he fucked Jared's tight hole. Jared clutched Jensen's head, running his fingers through Jensen's damp, spiky hair as he urgently kissed him back. Their bellies pressed Jared's cock between them, and the feeling of their sweaty, hot skin rubbing it all over as they moved made pre-come pool thickly on Jared's belly.

Jensen raised himself up again, pushing his thighs under Jared's so that he could kneel up and still thrust, one hand on each of Jared's ankles to keep his legs wide. "Jesus! Jensen! Oh, fuck! There, right there . . . oh my God!" Jared exclaimed as Jensen's dick hit that amazing spot inside him, making it feel like fireworks were going off. His skin felt so hot, like he was going to burst into flames, and he could feel sweat breaking out all over his body. Jared whimpered loudly, reaching a long arm to caress Jensen's chest, tweaking his hard little nipples. He started stroking himself again with the other hand, but Jensen released one ankle and knocked Jared's hand away, gripping his boyfriend's cock himself and jerking it firmly. Jared was cursing freely, a stream of filth running from his mouth as his body urged Jensen on and on. Jensen's face was drawn, his entire focus on Jared, and he fucked into Jared again and again, as deep and hard as he could.

Jared saw the sweat trickling down Jensen's face and chest, watched those muscles flexing as they drove into his own body, and then Jensen growled, "Come on, Jared! Come on! Love you, Jay! God, baby, fuck! Love fucking you, so hot, so incredible! Come, Jay, wanna feel you come! Come for me!" and that was it. Jared felt himself rise up and up and up and then explode, his cock jerking as it spat out fat ribbons and beads of spunk, shooting come all over his belly and chest. His hands dug into the bed as though to anchor himself against the force of his orgasm. His vision went black, he could feel his face stretched in a grimace, but all the way through, he felt Jensen's cock still inside him, giving him this amazing pleasure as it also grounded him like nothing else.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen watched his lover's face and body contort as he orgasmed, marveling at the utter pleasure Jared was experiencing. Jensen's own pleasure was barely being held at bay, momentarily stifled by sheer will, but he'd wanted to give his whole focus to Jared first. It was Jared's first time, and Jensen felt honored to be sharing that fragile, lovely moment with him. He wanted to give Jared the best first time he could, full of love and passion and the nervous thrill of sharing one's body like this. They had an ocean of loving ahead of them, so Jensen knew he could wait and just spend this time giving delight and satisfaction to his eager boyfriend. Taking Jared through this experience had been as hot and fantastic as he knew it would be; Jared was so in love, so responsive, and so fucking hot Jensen had to pinch himself sometimes.

Jared lay quieter now, gasping a little as he tried to catch his breath. "Jesus . . . Jen, that was . . . God, can't even say," he panted. Jensen kept moving inside him, but slowly now. He'd come so close to climaxing with Jared, feeling the pulsing muscles surrounding his cock squeezing him tightly, but he'd grit his teeth to wait. He was still on the brink, so close, but just tenderly fucking Jared through his after-shocks, glorying in seeing Jared spread out before him, still caught up in his bubble of pleasure.

Jared's eyes blinked lazily. A sappy grin crossed his face. "Damn, Jen, that was . . . unreal. Fantastic. You're fucking amazing. Thank you," he breathed. Then his eyes widened in dismay. "Oh, shit! Dude - you didn't get to - shit!"

"Hey, hey, settle down! No big. I just wanted to give you your moment. Watching you go through that was amazing," Jensen smiled at Jared, happy to see the younger man's dismay recede. "We can still take care of me. We can keep fucking, or you could suck me or jerk me, or I can just get myself off on your gorgeous body. All of those work for me. Tell me what you want, baby. It's all good if we're here together."

"Let me suck you? Want to feel that beautiful cock in my mouth," coaxed Jared. "Come wherever you want on me - face, body, mouth. I'm so yours, Jen, completely yours."

Jensen gently pulled out of Jared and pulled the condom off. He briskly stroked himself as he moved to the head of the bed, straddling Jared's head so he was facing down Jared's body. Jared tilted his head back a little and opened his mouth, his hands stroking Jensen's thighs. Jensen fed his cock into Jared's mouth and immediately groaned at the heat. Jared chuckled, the vibrations going right through Jensen's dick and balls. God, this wasn't going to take long, Jensen thought - he was so hard, so ready. Jared ran his tongue around the plump, smooth head of Jensen's dick, tongue tip nudging along the flared edge and then poking into the slit. Jensen hissed loudly, then yelped as Jared cupped his balls in one large hand, rolling them in their velvety sac, gently squeezing them. Jensen felt the electricity starting, moaning as he felt it uncoil in his balls and flood his body. Jared tongued the helmet again and then pushed his tongue against the sensitive spot underneath the head, sending a spike of ecstasy straight into Jensen's brain. The first drops of come fell into Jared's mouth before Jensen yanked his cock out. He wanted to paint his lover's beautiful, tan skin with his come. The rest of his release pulsed out onto Jared's body, Jensen gripping and stroking himself as his balls and cock emptied themselves. He groaned deeply while his hips bucked with the force of his climax. As Jensen began to sag, Jared caught and guided him down to the bed, pulling him close and softly stroking his body as he whispered praise and love into Jensen's ear. Jensen managed to open his eyes and see Jared's blue-green-gold eyes gazing at him, filled with love. 

"Love you, baby," Jensen whispered.

"Love you too, sweetheart. Sleep now, you had a big day," Jared whispered back.

Jensen nodded, smiling, falling into sleep even as Jared pulled up the blanket to tuck them in.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared thought he was waking up in his apartment, with the sunlight streaming in the window onto the bed. Didn't I get curtains? he thought drowsily. Maybe I forgot to hang them? He picked his head up and realized another head lay on the pillow with him. No face was visible, but the dark blonde hair said that it was Jensen.

It rushed back to him then. Jensen. Jensen naked. He and Jensen in bed, making love. Jensen's cock moving in his ass. And suddenly his morning wood had hardened into fuck-me-now stiffness, further enabled by his hips thrusting it against Jensen's fine, tight ass. He moaned softly.

"Jesus, baby, eager much?" Jensen drawled as his head moved. He looked sleepily at Jared, chuckling at Jared's face. Jared could only imagine the look of half-awake, half-horny lust on his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Woke up hard, got harder when I felt you next to me. Your ass is beyond tempting."

Jensen pulled Jared closer and kissed him. "Babe, don't ever apologize for wanting to make love. It's an honor and a gift, and the hottest fucking thing I ever heard." He kissed Jared again, licking at his mouth until Jared opened and let him in. They made out for several minutes, slowly moving their bodies against each other, until the phone rang.

Jensen reached over and picked it up, slurring "H'llo?" into the general direction of the mouthpiece.

"Front desk, this is your wake-up call. Check-out is at 10 a.m."

"Yeah, thanks." Jensen peered at the alarm clock. "Dude, get up. Stop, man," he said, pushing Jared's head away from the nipple he was busily licking and sucking. "Oh, God, fuck, that feels so good. Stop, Jared, we gotta get ready to check out."

Jared released the nub, now hard and wet, with a sigh. "Okay, so let's grab a shower and we can jerk each other off while we're all soapy and slick. Then we can pick the rest of this up back home. Sound good?"

Jensen attacked his mouth, kissing Jared silly. "Sounds fabulous. Not as fabulous as fucking you right this minute, but pretty damn fabulous." They both rolled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom. They were very fit and strong young men, but the tournament followed by the ardent lovemaking had taken its toll on them, and hot water sounded really good to their tired muscles.

The shower was a tight fit, but they managed to get clean and then leaned into each other's body. Jared held Jensen's erect cock in a soapy hand as Jensen gripped Jared's. They kissed languorously, mouths and tongues moving deep and slow as their hands stroked and twisted, pulled and squeezed. Jared was blissed out, feeling like he was wrapped up in pleasure at the same time he was giving the same pleasure back to his lover. Jensen's dick was fat and hard in his hand, the soft skin overlaying steel, capped by a spongy, smooth head that oozed pre-come with every stroke. He felt that Jensen's arousal thrummed through his own body. His balls tightened and he gasped as he felt the tide breaking over him, shooting him skyward as he spilled in Jensen's firm grip. His own hand tightened reflexively as he climaxed and Jensen's cock spurted, spraying white drips onto Jared's belly that the water sluiced away. They sagged, embracing as they supported each other and caught their breath.

Back in the bedroom, clothes flew as they grabbed everything and stuffed it into their duffels, regardless of whose item it actually was. Jared's gear bag had already gone home with Matt, so he just had his overnight bag. Jensen had his duffel, his gear bag, and his trophies. He'd stashed his bo staff in his car the night before, but everything else had come up to his room. Jared slung the gear bag over his shoulder so Jensen could manage the duffel and the trophies. They left the room, sharing a quick look that said how they would each remember last night, this room, everything. Jensen laughed happily, a lighthearted sound that resonated joyfully in Jared's heart.

The empty elevator opened immediately on their floor and they boarded it. As it descended, Jensen got in Jared's face, nosing around him and making Jared laugh. "You're such a dork, Jen. I bet the world doesn't have any idea what kind of a dork you are," Jared said, smiling before Jensen kissed him. They kissed teasingly, tenderly, lost in each other's mouths and eyes, riding the high of their deepened intimacy.

The elevator stopped with a jerk, but Jared and Jensen were deep in their private bubble and missed both the jerk and the ding of the door opening.

"Well, well, well, what do you know. Padalecki really is a faggot. Cut the homo shit, Padalecki, no one wants your queer germs all over the goddamn elevator."

Jared pushed Jensen away from him, his eyes wide. He didn't care about getting caught kissing in an elevator, but he knew Jensen would. The worst part was, the owner of that voice? That snotty, superior, mocking voice?

Was Mark Pellegrino.

It was clear that Pellegrino had seen Jared first - Jared was facing the door with his back against the elevator wall, and his height made him visible above Jensen. As Jensen moved away from Jared, though, he turned to face the open door. Jared saw Jensen's face blanch, his freckles dark like pepper sprinkled on his white skin. _Breathe, Jensen,_ Jared thought desperately, _breathe!_ He feared Jensen would pass out, his face was so shocked.

Pellegrino was similarly stunned, eyes wide and mouth gaping. His voice rang with disbelief, "Ackles? _Jensen?_ What the hell are you doing here?" Anger and confusion colored his next words, "Are you all right? Did this oversized fairy attack you? We can call the police from the front desk and get his scummy ass arrested! He'd probably enjoy a little time in jail, that's where they go to get fucked sometimes! Isn't that right, Jared? You need a little ass-action from some felons?" He smirked nastily at Jared.

"Don't do anything," murmured Jared. "Be cool . . ."

Pellegrino advanced into the elevator, hitting the "door open" button. "C'mon, Jensen, let's kick this pansy boy out of here. You can take the goddamn stairs, Fagalecki, we don't need to breathe your queer-ass air. You might be bigger than me, but I kicked your ass in the ring, and no way in hell are you gonna beat up a third degree black belt like Ackles here, right, Jensen?" He looked expectantly at Jensen.

"I'm not beating up anyone," Jensen said quietly, his eyes wide and frightened but his jaw clenched. "There's no need for any fighting."

Pellegrino tilted his head as he looked at Jensen in surprise. "The _hell_ there ain't! Don't you _get_ it, Jensen? Jared's a _fag!_ A fucking _deviant!_ A disgusting rump-rider who goes around fucking other guys in the ass! How much more revolting does it have to get?"

Jensen clutched his trophies and his bag, standing frozen as Mark's poisonous words dripped out of his sneering mouth. Jared was torn between anger at Pellegrino's ugly insults and fear for Jensen's well-being. He didn't know what to do.

Then it hit Pellegrino. Jared saw the realization strike him, watched it spread like butter across his face. The hate already present was dwarfed by the loathing that now gleamed from Pellegrino's blue eyes. He physically recoiled, stepping back from Jared and Jensen.

"It's you too," he hissed. "You're a queer-boy too, just like Padafaggot there. He wasn't _attacking_ you - you were sucking on his perverted face. You two probably fucked each other's dirty little assholes last night, didn't you?" His face was contorted with hate and hostility. "You're both fucking pieces of shit. You disgust me in every way possible. I hope you catch every type of putrid disease there is, and your maggot-ridden dicks rot off your perverted bodies." 

He spat on the elevator floor before stepping outside the elevator. "Rot in hell, asslickers. And, Jensen? Rest assured that I'll be spreading the word far and wide about just what kind of degenerate our 'respected instructor' really is."

The elevator door closed.

Jared stood frozen a moment before grabbing Jensen and pulling him close. "It's okay, it's okay. It's gonna be okay," he murmured in Jensen's ear. One large hand rubbed in the middle of Jensen's back, trying to loosen up the boards that seemed to have replaced Jensen's muscles. "Jensen? Babe?"

Jensen slowly turned his head and faced Jared. Jared didn't see any actual recognition in those flat green eyes. He held Jensen tighter, trying to get a reaction from his boyfriend.

"Please, Jensen, darlin', look at me. Jensen!"

The elevator door opened on the lobby. Jared looked out hesitantly, almost expecting to see a lynch mob waiting. Instead, it was just ordinary people moving amidst the same faux deco decor and overstuffed chairs that had been in the lobby yesterday. He guided - or rather, gently pushed - Jensen across the lobby floor, pausing at the desk. "Checking out for 5128?"

"All set, sir, we had express checkout for that room. I hope you enjoyed your time here, and please do stay with us again!" The chirpy desk clerk beamed a wide smile at them, and Jared felt his brain crack a little. He couldn't reconcile Mark Pellegrino's repugnant behavior with the sunny smiles of the girl behind the front desk - how could they exist in the same world? In the same _place?_

Nodding his thanks, Jared guided Jensen outside and walked him to his car, keeping a hand firmly on Jensen's elbow. Jensen stood docilely as Jared put his bags and trophies in the trunk. Then he stood in front of Jensen, gently patting his cheeks and saying his name. Jared needed Jensen to wake up before they took off for Austin.

After a few minutes of trying to snap him out of his fugue, Jensen came to abruptly. He looked around with alarm as if he thought Mark was still there. "It's okay, he's gone. He's gone. Jen, are you okay? Do you think you're ready to go home?" Jared kissed Jensen softly, whispering, "I think we have a date for later, don't we?"

Suddenly Jensen pushed Jared away from him sharply. "Of course we don't. How can you even _think_ that? We don't have a date later. We don't have a date _ever_. Just forget about anything between us. I'm not dealing with this. I should have known better. It can't happen, it _won't_ happen." He opened his trunk back up and grabbed Jared's bag, tossing it onto the asphalt. Jared started to grab it, then started after Jensen instead, and finally simply stood there, stunned and unmoving.

The car's engine roared, and Jared had to jump aside as Jensen peeled out of the parking lot, leaving Jared standing there alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Jensen knew as he drove away that he was being a dick. He just abandoned his boyfriend in a town two hours' drive from home. At the same time, he felt helpless to alter his actions. The encounter with Mark had terrified him. It had been every cruel and frightening thing he'd ever dreaded experiencing. Every fear about coming out had just been justified. Mark had said horrible things to him, smeared his boyfriend, and threatened his business, his livelihood. Jensen couldn't even think about how to deal with all of that. His first instinct was to get away, get home. Get home _now,_ go to ground and lick his wounds.

As he drove, he shed tears not only for the possible loss of his dojo and his career, but his boyfriend, so recently his lover. Sweet, amusing, beautiful Jared. Talented in so many ways, funny and adorable, hotter than he'd dreamed of, and now - gone. Jensen knew there wouldn't be any way Jared could stay with him after this - after Mark's terrible words, after Jensen's failure and subsequent abandonment. He knew losing the dojo was going to be awful enough, but he didn't know how he was going to stand losing Jared.

It almost looked like it was raining, but Jensen knew it was really his tears.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

"He just _left?_ Like, he just drove away and _left_ you there?" Chad kept repeating himself, like if he said it enough he'd finally understand it.

Jared sighed. "Yes, Chad. He drove away and left me there." Tears pricked his eyes afresh as the words left his mouth, but he resolutely blinked and refused to let them fall. He'd stood in the parking lot for ten minutes with tears soaking his face, lost in a miasma of hurt and loss and confusion. How could Jensen leave him like that? Were they really over? And that question just brought up a world of pain that he didn't want to deal with right now. He couldn't accept that he and Jensen might really be done, just like that.

"Chad, it was a fucking nightmare. This asshole from class, Mark Pellegrino, he just - he fucking _lit into_ us. We were in the elevator, and we were just, I don't know, canoodling a little -"

"Canoodling? Really, Jared, _canoodling?_ Jesus, can you pick a word from this decade?" Chad snorted. Jared couldn't help but laugh a little at Chad's ridicule.

"Yeah, just a little kissing, nothing heavy, we knew we'd be in the lobby in a minute. But the door opened and Mark was there, and - God, Chad, the stuff he said! Jesus fucking Christ, it was so, so horrible! So ugly. He was swearing at me and calling me names, and he didn't realize that Jensen - he thought I was _attacking_ Jensen!"

"Yeah, because you're gonna take on the super-duper black belt instructor! Clearly this guy's brain took the weekend off!" Chad shook his head.

"Right? So it's already getting nasty, but then - then he realizes that Jensen is actually _with_ me. That we're together. And that's when it got really bad," Jared's voice faltered, and he put a hand over his face. Chad shot him a sympathetic look, then focused angrily on the road. "He said all this shit, and then he - he fucking _spat_ at us, Chad. SPAT at us! And he let the elevator close because he couldn't stand to get in with us, like we were contagious. We went through the lobby and out to Jensen's car, but he was all spaced out, just blank. I kept talking to him and patting his face, and finally he woke up. But then he snapped or freaked, and he threw my bag out of the car and - he left. So I called you, because I didn't have any idea what the hell to do." He squeezed Chad's shoulder gently. "Thanks for coming to get me, man."

"Well, I'm just generally wonderful like that," Chad replied smoothly. "Besides, that would have been a hell of a cab fare." He winked at Jared.

"Yeah," Jared chuckled despite himself, eyes still wet. "Yeah, it really would have."

"So what are you going to do when you get home? Call him? Give him space? Pretend it never happened? Cuss him out for leaving your ginormous ass on the pavement?"

Jared sighed. "I don't know. I'm so - like, I know he's freaked. I _know_ that. He's probably all kinds of scared and confused, and I get that, I do. But _I'm_ angry too. I'm angry like gangbusters at Mark. And I love Jensen so much, but I'm angry at him too. I'm supposed to _be_ with him. We're supposed to go through stuff _together._ And instead he fucking kicked me out and dumped me, and I'm really pissed off about that. So . . . I don't really know what to do yet."

Chad nodded. "Take a little time, dude. Get your own head a little settled, and then you can see where he's at."

Jared watched the scenery slide by the car window. Chad was a little crazy sometimes, but he had a good head on his shoulders. And it was a hell of a buddy that would simply say "be there soon" in response to a phone call from a semi-hysterical friend who was stranded two hours away. "Yeah, dude. That sounds good."

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen paced around his apartment. He'd been home thirty-six hours, out of which he'd slept about two. The rest of the time he'd spent brooding, worrying, checking his email, checking his voicemail, missing Jared, and oh yeah - pacing.

He threw himself onto the couch. This was all getting him nowhere. He still had no idea what to do, how to deal with the threat to the dojo. No idea if Pellegrino would follow through on his threats. The only thing he did know was that he felt paralyzed by the events at the hotel. He didn't even dare to leave his house for a quick meal at the diner.

And, oh God, how he missed Jared. Missed Jared's sweet smile and sparkling eyes, his wacky sense of humor and sincere concern. The memories of their lovemaking flooded Jensen's mind and he groaned. Yeah, he missed that too, missed feeling Jared's strong, muscled body moving under his, Jared's hands on his skin, Jared's mouth opening to his. The image of Jared standing bereft in the parking lot, reflected in Jensen's rear view mirror, flashed into his mind. His last glimpse of his lover. The one he'd behaved like a total dick to.

That was when the tears ambushed him. Lying back on the couch, Jensen let the rest of it go for a minute and simply gave in to his grief.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

"Anything yet?" Sandy's usually cheery voice sounded subdued over Jared's phone.

"No, sweetie, nothing yet," Jared replied. "I don't even know what to expect. I know he's probably holed up at his apartment, but I've called and called. I'm going to go knock on his door, but I'm not holding out any great hopes that he's going to answer." He sighed heavily.

"Have you checked the website? If he was going to do anything drastic as far as the dojo, he'd post it there, right?"

"Oh, man! Of course! Thanks, Sandy, I'll check that right away." 

"No problemo, Jay! Just trying to think of anything I can. Let me know what you find out, if anything. Why don't you come over for a little dinner tonight? You've got to be pooped, what with the tournament and then all this craziness. Besides, you can tell us about the good stuff that happened there!"

"Absolutely, I will. Thank you, honey," and Jared rang off, eager to get to his computer.

He woke his laptop up and typed in the Silver Dragon URL. The website popped right up, the frontispiece identical to the carved sign at the dojo. The usual banner of links ran across the top, with various pictures and event blurbs in the body of the page.

Except today there was a notice directly under the link banner.

_Attention Silver Dragon students,_

_Congratulations on your fine performances at the tournament. It was a pleasure to see how well everyone did! I am extremely proud of all of you!_

_I regret to announce that the Silver Dragon Dojo will be closed for the next week, effective immediately. I apologize for not notifying everyone sooner._

_The dojo will re-open next Monday. Enjoy the rest after all your hard work these last few months!_

_Respectfully,_

_Jensen Ackles_

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

"Closed??"

Jared nodded. He still felt stunned. Okay, Jensen freaked out. Okay, he left Jared in a parking lot and drove away. But closing the dojo? Jared hadn't seen that coming. And now that it had, he didn't know what else could happen.

Chad scratched his head. "Jesus, that's - that's pretty wild. I guess we should be grateful it's only for a week. At this point, half of me wouldn't be surprised to see the boy pull up stakes and head out of town." Jared's head whipped to face Chad, eyes wide in shock.

"Chad!" Sandy's exclamation was followed by a yelp from Chad. She glared at him as he rubbed the calf she had just kicked. She turned to Jared, rubbing his shoulder as she comforted him, "Don't you worry, Jared. Jensen loves you and he would _never_ leave without talking to you. Never! He's just catching his breath a little, and then he'll re-open the dojo, and everything will be fine."

Jared's eyes misted and his throat felt clogged. He cleared it and said, "I hope so, Sandy, I really do. I just don't entirely know what's going on right now. But I love him, and I'm going to stick it out to the end, if I have to."

Sandy hugged him. "Oh, Jared, I know you will. It's gonna be okay, I really think so." She kissed his cheek before moving to Chad's side. "And you, you oaf, I love you too. Just so you know." She put a hand on Chad's cheek and turned his face to hers, kissing him chastely but sweetly.

"I know, baby, I love you too," replied an uncharacteristically sober Chad. He put his arms around her and hugged her.

Jared had to clear his throat again. "Okay! Enough with the love-in! Where can a guy find a beer around here?"

They all laughed and switched into dinner preparations. Jared was grateful for their uncomplicated, affectionate company, sitting with a beer and a smile as he watched them move around cooking the meal. He wanted this easy domesticity. He wanted it with Jensen.

Damn, he missed Jensen.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared stared at the Silver Dragon website. He'd been checking it regularly, in case Jensen updated it again. So far, it remained unchanged. He sighed. No news wasn't bad news, but it wasn't good news either. It was just nothing.

He rubbed his hands over his face. Dammit! He needed to think of something, some way to reach Jensen. There'd been no response to calls, texts, or emails. He loved Jensen, and he didn't plan to lose him without a fight. And for damn sure, he didn't mean to lose him because of a creep like Mark Pellegrino.

Jared jumped up from the couch. He went to the door and put his running shoes on. Maybe a run would help clear his head and get some ideas going.

The run didn't give him any ideas, but the shower did. Okay, so really it was the urge to jerk off - he was a healthy boy, and it had been a few days without his boyfriend. Standing in the shower, hot water cascading down his body, Jared found his cock swelling and his hand just gravitated to it. He stroked himself off slowly but firmly, remembering the morning at the hotel when they'd traded hand jobs in the shower. The memory of Jensen's kisses, his thick, hard cock moving in Jared's hand, Jensen's strong hand tugging on Jared - he climaxed in minutes, shooting copiously against the tile wall. He put a hand up to steady himself, watching his jizz slide down and get washed away.

Afterward, at least he felt refreshed. The exercise, the shower, the release - he felt better than he had since the morning after the tournament. He sat down at his laptop, checking the website again. Nothing. He sighed and checked his email. Nothing. Finally he meandered over to Facebook. Jensen only kept a minimal presence there, but lots of Jared's other friends had Facebook and he made sure to check it daily.

And then he had the idea. He sat there for several minutes, pondering it, trying to think of it from different angles. It seemed like it was holding up. He almost didn't dare to breathe.

A smile slowly spread across Jared's face. He had things to do.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

In hindsight, closing the dojo for a week had not been the best move. Jensen found himself with too much time on his hands and little that he wanted to do. He couldn't concentrate on reading or television. He didn't want to go out at all. If it wasn't his fear of running into Pellegrino, then it was the fear of running into other students and families from the Silver Dragon, as he hadn't figured out how to handle things yet. He had groceries delivered to his townhouse so that he didn't have to go to the grocery store. He ignored the multitude of calls from Jared, Chris, and Dani. He posted the announcement of the dojo closing on the Silver Dragon website, then checked his email nervously every hour during that day. Jensen was only marginally relieved to either not have new mail, or to only receive a few "Hope everything is okay" notes.

He missed Jared acutely. He endlessly relived their night and morning together at the hotel, jerking off three or four times a day, trying to climb back into that lovely bubble. Jensen finally made himself skip a day before his dick got too sore. There wasn't anything he could do about his heart.

As the weekend loomed, Jensen's anxiety ratcheted up even more. Three more days. Two more days. What was Monday going to bring? Angry students? Hostile parents? Would he still be in business? What if Pellegrino showed up and made a scene?

Finally Sunday night arrived. Jensen sat on the couch practically nauseous with nerves. Tomorrow afternoon he had to go back. He had to open the dojo. He couldn't _not_ open the dojo - he might as well shutter his doors forever then. Raise the white flag - and Mark the homophobe would have won. Even with the massive fear Jensen felt, he knew that would be the worst ending of all. He had to at least try.

He hardly slept that night, seeing infinite scenarios play out in his mind's eye. Up with the sun, he drank coffee and picked at some toast. By mid-morning he fell asleep for another hour, his tired body pulling the plug for a little while. Then it was time to get up, try to eat again, take a shower, and put his t-shirt and track pants on. He packed up his backpack, making sure he had water, energy bars, and his white instructor's jacket. Jensen held the jacket a minute, smoothing the white canvas down, running his finger around the patches. He loved this jacket and what it represented. He loved his job. Jensen closed his eyes and sent a short, silent prayer that this was not the end of his dream.

Then he picked up his backpack and walked out the door.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared was at the diner by eleven on Monday morning. The last few days had been very busy, and he appreciated having a hearty sandwich, a great piece of pie, and some excellent coffee under his belt. Sam and Alona both kept checking on him, and he reassured them he was okay. The question was, how was Jensen? And no one knew the answer to that yet.

Jared kept checking his watch, and at twelve-thirty he gathered up his backpack and phone and headed for the door. Alona hugged him in the middle of the aisle, and Sam caught up with him at the door. "It'll be okay," she said firmly. "He'll be okay. He's got you, Jared, and that means the world, you know?" Jared nodded, not trusting his voice, and Sam hugged him hard before sending him on his way.

As he walked through the plaza, Chad called. "You good, dude?" he drawled.

"Yeah, I'm good. Kinda nervous, but good."

"Okay then. See ya."

Jared's phone played some twangy guitar chords, and Jared flipped it open, saying, "Hey, Chris."

Chris' rough voice asked, "You doing okay, boy?"

Jared laughed a little. "Everyone keeps asking me that. Yeah, as good as can be expected. Just gotta wait and see."

Chris sighed. "Yeah, yeah you do. Well, chin up and all that supportive shit, okay?"

"You bet, dude. Bye." 

Jared checked his watch again. Twelve-fifty. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It was almost time.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen drove up to the plaza and parked. He sat in his car a minute, breathing deeply. He might be terrified inside, but he wasn't going to show it if he could help it. He got out, locking his car just in case, and shouldered his backpack.

The walk to the dojo never felt so long.

Jensen walked down the long side of the plaza before turning to enter the inside loop. His eyes were on the ground as he struggled to stay calm and behave as usual. He entered the inside of the plaza and turned to approach the dojo entrance.

He stopped when he heard his name being called. A bolt of fear shot through him - was it Pellegrino? Or worse? Jensen's head jerked up, his eyes wide and staring.

Staring at the crowd of people in front of the Silver Dragon. Fifty? More? He almost panicked.

But - there was Dani. And Chris and Steve next to her. And kids - a bunch of kids. Kids in _gis. His_ kids. 

A lot of adults too - Matt. Other adult students. And the parents of the kids, not in _gis,_ of course, but in Silver Dragon t-shirts. And if they weren't in Silver Dragon shirts, they were wearing purple or gray. Lots of them held purple and silver balloons as well.

And in the middle was Jared. So tall, strong and beautiful, filling out a Silver Dragon t-shirt in a absolutely delicious way. He smiled at Jensen, then he turned and gestured to the side. Two of Jensen's intermediate students came forward carrying a huge banner that said "Welcome back, Mr. Ackles!" and was liberally decorated with balloons and ribbons. And as Jensen stood there reading the banner and looking at the crowd, they all shouted, "Welcome back, Mr. Ackles!", cheering afterward and applauding.

Jensen's heart seem to have moved up into his throat, because he was having great difficulty swallowing, and tears - not of fear or sorrow, but instead of deep gratitude and joy - filled his eyes.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared's eyes were swimming as well, as he watched his boyfriend realize the purpose of the crowd and absorb what was happening. Jensen looked awestruck. Jared could only imagine what thoughts and fears Jensen had been harboring during the past week, but now they could put an end to them. He handed the banner off and moved forward, standing in front of Jensen but waiting for the older man take the next move.

Jensen looked into Jared's eyes, his green eyes still filled with tears, some of them dropping now to fall down his cheeks.

"You okay, babe? Too much surprise?" asked Jared softly.

"Fantastic surprise. Incredible. I'm just a little overcome," Jensen replied, sniffing and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "God, Jared, how? How did you manage this? And what does it all mean?"

"It means your students love you and don't plan to leave. It means that most of them don't care that you're gay. I'm not gonna lie, there were a few who did. Happily, they were in a very small minority. Most of all, Jen, it means you don't have to be afraid." Jared held his hand out, palm up. Jensen looked at it, that strong hand that was so capable, and put his own it in. He didn't think there was any place safer for his own to be.

"So - shall we open up the dojo, Jay? I believe we have some students waiting for class."

"Yeah, Jen, let's do that."


	9. Chapter 9

6 months later

Of course, it wasn't perfect - there were no unicorns, no glitter. Jensen ultimately lost a dozen students who didn't approve of his sexual orientation. On the other hand, all the other students and their families stayed and supported Jensen and the Silver Dragon.

Mark Pellegrino was one of the dozen who left. He was not missed.

Jensen threw himself back into teaching. He felt re-invigorated from the tournament and its aftermath, rededicated to his students for their support and loyalty, and revived personally by Jared and their relationship. Being freed from the fear of discovery and discrimination allowed him to relax in a way Jensen hadn't even realized he could. He was not a publicly demonstrative man by nature, but he could take Jared's hand as they walked, give him a hug and a light kiss, and not fear the consequences.

Jared thrilled to see his boyfriend so much more at ease with himself. While Jensen remained every bit the professional on the dojo floor, he smiled more, laughed more, and displayed more of his dry wit. Jared was extremely content.

Sandy came up with an idea about replacing the departed students. She told Jensen about the LBGT group on the UT Austin campus, and Jared arranged for him to give a demonstration at the student union. Jensen emphasized self-defense in the demo, and three new students signed up within the week. The LBGT group also arranged for Jensen to teach a self-defense class on-campus once a month. The revenue from the monthly class and the other new students he added from that exposure offset the lost students' revenue.

One morning, Jared and Jensen met for breakfast at the Roadhouse, as they often did. Over good coffee and even better omelets, they chatted and smiled, looking at each other with obvious adoration. As Alona cleared their plates, Jensen said casually, "Hey, I picked up a little something for you." He pulled a small white box out of his pocket.

Jared looked surprised. "Um, is this where you make an honest man out of me?"

Jensen laughed merrily. "No, dude, I could never do that." He winked at Jared and pushed the box across the table. "Open it and see."

Jared genuinely felt a little nervous about what might be in the box. "Did I miss something? Should I have gotten you a present?"

Shaking his head, Jensen said, "Nope. You're good. Go on, open it!"

Jared picked up the little box and slipped the lid off. He picked up the little cotton square inside and saw the glint of metal. Putting the cotton on the table, he lifted out a key. His eyes darted to Jensen's face and then back to the key. "Jen, what . . .?"

Jensen leaned forward and took Jared's hand. "Ten months ago, we met for breakfast here. That date changed both our lives. I probably should have done this on our one year anniversary, but frankly - I couldn't wait any longer." He cleared his throat, a serious look on his face. "Jared, I would love it if you would consider moving in with me. I'd love to ask you for more than cohabitation, but I want that to happen in its own good time." Jared's eyes got very wide. "So I'm asking you this for now, and you can take your time considering it, just - please, think about moving in with me. I love you, and I would love to spend every day with you." He rubbed his thumb over Jared's hand as he sat back a little.

"Jesus! I - yes, of course! God, Jen, I'd love to move in with you!" Jared pulled Jensen halfway over the table and kissed him. Sam and Alona clapped and cheered from their vantage point of a couple of tables away. Jensen smiled from ear to ear, making the corners of his eyes crinkle, which he said made him look old but Jared thought was completely adorable. Jared and Jensen both looked over at the women with big grins,

"Okay, you guys, this one is on the house!" said Sam, as Alona nodded in agreement. "Now get on out of here - I'm sure you've got some celebrating to do!" Jensen blushed as Jared snickered, and they hastened out of the diner.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared teased Jensen as they walked over to Jensen's apartment. "Jeez, Jen! You blushed!" Jensen snorted and elbowed him in the ribs. Jared laughed, "Don't worry, your manliness is safe! I promise to never divulge your secret to the world!"

Jensen rolled his eyes and hurried his steps. "Damn right you won't! Not if you ever hope to get my dick in your ass again, that is!" Jensen grinned evilly at Jared as they ran up the stairs in the apartment building.

Jared gasped. "Never! I promise!" That was a threat he took seriously!

They tumbled through the door, kissing and laughing. As soon as the door was shut, Jensen had Jared pinned against it, pressing his body hard against Jared's as they kissed deeply. Jared pushed him back a little, gasping to catch his breath. "I'm down with hot wall sex, but let's get in bed, so we can take our time, okay?" Jensen nodded as he kissed and sucked under Jared's jaw.

"Yeah, baby, that's cool," Jensen mumbled as he pulled himself away from Jared and dragged him down the hall. As soon as they got into the bedroom, Jensen tugged Jared's t-shirt up his torso and over his head. Jared sighed happily as Jensen ran his hands over his chest and abs, his clever fingers tweaking Jared's nipples and sending little jolts through him. Jared gasped with the sharp pleasure of those pinches and tugs, then reached for Jensen's shirt. Jensen beat him to it, quickly whipping it off and throwing it on the floor, then reaching hungrily for Jared. They kissed right there; bare skin burning on bare skin, tongues slick and hot against each other, lips almost bruised from the urgent force.

"On the bed. Need you, need to fuck you," Jensen said huskily. Jared eagerly obliged, shedding his jeans and boxers hastily. He lay down on his back, watching Jensen as he unbuttoned his jeans and kicked them off. Jensen's thick cock was hard and red, bobbing stiffly between his legs as he clambered onto the bed, sitting between Jared's thighs. Jared's swollen cock lay on his belly, darkly flushed, head shiny from the pre-come leaking out and smearing over it. He panted lightly, waiting impatiently for Jensen to touch him, his body clamoring for contact.

Jensen smiled slowly, his eyes roaming over his lover's beautiful body. Jared knew the older man loved to tease him, to draw things out until Jared was half-mad with lust. Usually, Jared loved it too, but today he didn't want to wait. He wanted - he needed - to feel his lover inside him. Now. He reached out to Jensen, saying softly, "Please, Jen. Please, I want you so bad. Don't tease me?" Jensen lay down on top of him, grounding Jared with his body, his heat seeping into the younger man. Jared sighed deeply, excited and reassured by the smooth, firm feel of Jensen's body against his. Jensen put his hands on Jared's face and kissed him thoroughly, his tongue exploring every surface of Jared's mouth. Jensen's full, lush lips were heaven on Jared's. Jared canted his hips up, craving to feel their cocks rubbing together, hot and hard and so, so good. Jensen circled his hips, rolling their dicks against each other, making them both moan with delight.

Jared groaned with the delicious pressure on his cock, and then whined in protest when Jensen moved. He backed off of Jared's body, kneeling between his legs. "Turn over, sweetheart. Just for now," Jensen murmured, and Jared obeyed. Jensen stuffed a pillow under his hips, and Jared couldn't help rutting against it. "Hey, now, none of that!" said Jensen and smacked him smartly on one cheek. Jared yelped, but the sting of the smack turned him on as much as it pained him. Lying quietly, he was quickly rewarded with Jensen's strong hands pushing his cheeks up and apart.

Jared purred, knowing what was coming. The first time Jensen had rimmed him, he had been both appalled and excited. Now, he unabashedly loved it. Jensen broadly licked him across his hole, laving the area until it was moist and slick with spit. Then he ran his tongue around and around Jared's hole, gradually pressing inward to start opening it. His finger joined his tongue, gently pressing Jared's hole open as Jensen burrowed his tongue in. He poked and licked inside, easing the tight muscle looser, constantly slicking it with saliva. Jared heard the click of the lube bottle as Jensen slicked his fingers before slowly sliding one all the way in. Jared pushed back a little, his ass craving more. Jensen laughed, "Greedy!" Jared nodded in total agreement. He was totally greedy when it came to his talented lover.

Jensen slid his finger in and out as he kept licking around Jared's hole, probing with his tongue, sucking on the rim. Jared was in bliss, lying with his legs spread and ass up in utter contentment. Jensen slapped his ass again, saying tartly, "Don't you go falling asleep on me here!" As if to make sure that didn't happen, he moved to three fingers and started moving faster and harder.

Jared groaned at the increase in number and force. The burn of the stretching only intensified the pleasure of insertion. "Not sleeping, just freakin' ecstatic! Feels so fucking good, Jen! Filling up my ass and fucking me with your fingers, while you're sucking and licking on my hole? Jesus, Jen, the only thing better is when it's your dick!"

"Yeah, well, that's on the way," Jensen said, his tone pleased. He pulled out and added more lube. "Can you do another, Jay? Want four?"

Jared could feel a wet spot on his thigh from Jensen's dick leaking. His lover was always so considerate about Jared's wants and needs, and Jared wanted to be likewise. "Yeah, I could, but not now - want you to fuck me now. Want your cock to fill me up, fuck me silly. Want to feel you for days, Jen, every time I walk, every time I sit, know that your dick was there." As Jensen slid his fingers out, Jared turned over, leaving the pillow under his ass. He spread his legs, sliding a hand over his balls and down to his hole. It felt loose and slick, and he slid his own finger in, whining softly.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen groaned, watching Jared fingerfuck himself. "Goddamn, baby, that is fucking hot. Maybe one day I'm gonna have you finger yourself, open yourself up all the way, watch those long, beautiful fingers pumping in and out of your pretty hole while I jack off. How does that sound?" Jared moaned and nodded eagerly as he continued his finger play. His cock was twitching off his belly, clear strings of pre-come trailing from the tip to his flat stomach. Jensen smiled broadly at his lover's obvious arousal, his own cock just as hard, just as wet. He held his dick and rubbed it all over Jared's, relishing the feel of their cocks moving together, loving how his own pre-come was marking his boyfriend. He gritted his teeth as a wave of lust hit him. Playtime was over.

"Enough!" Jensen growled, and Jared withdrew his hand, cupping his balls and squeezing them before sliding his hand back up to his dick. Jensen got a little more lube and quickly stroked his cock, holding himself at the base to stay in control. He held his cock and lined it up with Jared's hole, pushing in quickly and firmly. Jared gasped, his head digging into the pillow as his body arched. Jensen grunted, pushing hard into Jared, grabbing him around the thighs to anchor them together. Jared's hands were constantly in motion - rolling and flicking his nipples into hard nubs, then sliding around his abs, giving his cock a few strokes, rolling his balls. Watching Jared touch himself like that sent Jensen's excitement soaring, those long fingers moving so sensuously on that sculpted, muscular body. Jensen leaned over to bite and suck on Jared's nipples, knowing how sensitive they were and what it would do to Jared. Jared immediately moaned, hissing at the slight sting of the lovebites. He arched his chest, one hand in Jensen's hair to keep his mouth teasing the swollen buds.

Even as he licked and mouthed on Jared's chest, Jensen kept thrusting hard, rocking his hips and pushing his cock deep into his lover. After several strokes, he straightened up, adjusting himself so he was on wide-spread knees. Pushing Jared's knees up high and wide open, Jensen fucked him slow and deep, grinding against his ass to ensure his cock rubbed against his lover's prostate. Jared moaned and grunted steadily, his breath punched out with Jensen's momentum. Jensen moaned as much as Jared - fucking into Jared's tight ass was squeezing his own cock like a hot, velvet glove, and he could feel his arousal spiraling upward.

Jared's cock twitched madly on his belly, but when he grabbed it, Jensen smacked his hand. He growled. "Come like this, baby. Just on my cock - you can do it." His hips sped up, thrusting faster, sliding in and out, still slamming into Jared's sweet spot. Jared's body kept moving under the impetus of Jensen's thrusting, and he reached over his head, pushing against the headboard. Both men gasped from the extra force of Jared's counter-pushing, the stronger impact of their bodies sending their excitement soaring. Their bodies were slick with sweat as their muscles pumped and flexed, working toward their climaxes.

Jensen looked down at Jared, laid out beneath him on the bed, completely edible and as gorgeous as a sex god. His tan skin gleamed with sweat; every muscle in his abs, arms, and legs was flexed and defined. His cock was huge, hard, and dark with arousal, leaving shiny, wet smears all over his abs. Jared's pink lips were moist and open as he writhed and panted, his dark hair sticking to his forehead, his nipples in tight points. Jensen's heart swelled with love for his funny, wonderful, sexy boyfriend. He unfolded his legs so he could stretch up over Jared and kiss that beautiful mouth, rub his chest against Jared's beautiful pecs and nipples, all the while snapping his hips into Jared over and over.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared couldn't stop moving; although his hips were pinned by Jensen, the rest of his body was unable to stay still. Pleasure flooded every part of him. Feeling Jensen fuck him was explosively thrilling, and Jared could feel the electricity building in him, surging higher and higher towards his orgasm. Suddenly Jensen moved and was lying over him, plunging his tongue into Jared's welcoming mouth. Jared moaned and sucked on it, his head lifting from the pillow to keep his lips pressed against Jensen's own plush ones. Jensen's smooth chest rubbed against his own, and the feeling of his silky skin gliding against Jared's highly-sensitized nipples was incredibly erotic. Jensen's hands slipped under Jared's armpits to anchor on his shoulders as Jensen thrust harder and harder.

Jared's cock was trapped between their bellies now, leaking pre-come all over Jensen's stomach too. As his straining dick slid between the firm planes of their abs, the extra friction on it was the final spark for Jared. He pushed and slid against Jensen, his balls drawing up tightly, his hands clutching his lover desperately. He tore his mouth away from Jensen, stammering "Oh - Jen - oh God, Jen - gotta - oh shit, gonna - FUCK! FUCK! JEN! OH FUCK!" He bucked and convulsed, teeth clenching, eyes slamming shut, momentarily losing his grip on Jensen before grabbing him again. Tears seeped from under his eyelids from the intensity of his climax, but he didn't care. He had no secrets from Jensen, no facet of himself he wouldn't share. Jared hugged Jensen tightly, face buried on the older man's neck and he struggled to catch his breath as the aftershocks slowly subsided.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jensen held his lover close, stroking his hair and murmuring little loving words into his ear. He'd felt the extent of Jared's orgasm as he'd laid on top of him, had felt how hard it shook him. Jensen knew the emotional fallout of a crescendo like that- he understood where Jared's tears and clinginess were coming from. He marveled at the younger man's emotional capacity and the raw strength of his feelings. Jensen felt touched and honored that those feelings were for him. He vowed to himself that he would always cherish Jared, would never take for granted Jared's gift of himself.

"Shh sh sh . . . you okay, baby boy? Love you so much . . . so beautiful, so special. Thank you, sweetheart, thank you for giving yourself to me. Thank you for making my life so wonderful," Jensen whispered into Jared's ear. He combed his fingers through the dark chestnut hair, kissing it softly. Jared pulled his face out, turning it to Jensen and kissing him, eyelashes still wet and spiky from his tears.

"I'm okay . . . oh, shit, I'm sorry! I left you hanging again! Just like the first time," Jared smiled a little. "Damn! I promise not to make a habit of this! Jen, please, what do you want? I'll do anything, wanna make you happy. Wanna give you the same incredible joy you just gave me."

Jensen shivered. He was still inside Jared, although he'd softened a little. Just thinking about it renewed the blood flow to his dick. "I'm in the best place already. Wanna stay right here, fuck you a little more, paint your ass with my come. Mark you inside and out, baby. Want you to sleep in my arms, share my pillow. Wanna feel your gorgeous ass pressed up against me when I wake up, fuck you again, just keep you loose and ready for my cock all the time. How's that sound?" He punctuated his words with tiny kisses on Jared's nose, cheeks, and his pink cupid's bow mouth.

Jared's eyes closed and he gasped softly. "Yes, Jen, yes - want it all. All for you, all for us. Can still feel you in there right now, getting harder, bigger. Move, Jen, fuck me, wanna feel you come!" Jared bucked his hips a little, smiling when Jensen growled.

"Can't resist your amazing ass, so tight, so hot! Hold on, Jay, gonna fuck you hard!" Jensen proved a man of his word as he started thrusting in and out of Jared again, his balls slapping smartly against the curve of Jared's ass. Jared panted as Jensen pumped, his own cock trying to respond anew to the blissful feeling that Jensen's rhythm gave him.

Suddenly Jensen pulled out, and grabbing Jared by the hips, he flipped the younger man over. Jared squawked at the flip, but promptly went on his knees, spreading them wide and pushing his ass out to Jensen. Jensen cursed at the sight of Jared's pink hole presented so brazenly, seizing his tempting cheeks firmly. He bent and gave a few broad swipes over Jared's hole with his tongue before plunging his cock back in. Jensen's cock was achingly hard now, and he fucked hard into Jared. Jared's head was down on the bed, molding his back into a beautiful slope while his ass was high in the air. Jensen couldn't resist giving that ass some glancing swats, thrilling to the moans Jared responded with as well as the pink splotches blooming on his tan skin. He spanked randomly, so Jared couldn't anticipate the strikes, but the fleshy sound and Jared's sexy noises added to Jensen's spiraling delight.

Jared was making quite a bit of noise again, and Jensen slipped a hand underneath him to find he was completely hard again. "Oh, baby, look at you . . . all ready to go again. You're so hot, sexiest damn guy ever. Fucking gorgeous cock, darlin', want you to give me a ride soon, okay? Wanna fuck me? Feel how good I can squeeze your fat cock?" Jared was whining now, nodding frantically. He worked his hips backwards and forward, pushing himself onto Jensen's cock and then fucking into Jensen's fist, fresh pre-come slicking the way.

"Yes, yes, yes, please . . . wanna fuck you, stuff my cock into you, oh God, Jen, fuck, can't wait. Fuck me, gonna come, want to feel you come, Jen. Come inside me, fill me up, please . . ." Jared's words dissolved into moans and whimpers as he trembled under Jensen.

"Yeah, baby, yeah . . . gonna come. Gonna shoot inside you until you're full of my spunk. Oh, shit! Oh, fuck! Goddamn, so good, so fucking good! Love you, Jay, oh shit! Shit! Goddamnit, Jay! Gonna come . . . I'm coming . . . Jesus!! Fuck!! Jay, _Jay,_ oh _fuck!_ " Jensen slammed into Jared and stayed there, his cock straining and pulsing as it shot hot come inside Jared. Jensen felt like his balls were emptying jizz from the last five years, they were squeezing so tightly. He was locked into Jared, transfixed. Just as the peak of his orgasm passed, Jared's hit, sending fresh waves of pleasure cascading through him. He could feel Jared's walls spasming and squeezing him, making it feel like his climax was going on and on.

Finally the blinding pleasure subsided enough for Jensen to collapse onto the bed. Jared's hips fell to one side, and Jensen spooned him, gently pulling out as they moved. Both men breathed heavily as they recovered from the storm of their lovemaking. Jensen pressed himself against Jared's back, Jared reaching back with one long arm to caress him. Jensen buried his nose in Jared's hair, inhaling a mix of shampoo, sex, and Jared that both warmed and soothed him. He sank into sleep, utterly content.

~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~ @ ~

Jared pressed his back against Jensen, loving the warm, solid feel of his boyfriend spooning him. He felt loved, cared for, and so very satisfied. A faint snuffle told him that Jensen was smelling him; Jared smiled, amused at his adorable lover. He loved Jensen's smell too, and liked to bury his nose in Jensen's neck for that very reason. Now he felt boneless, every muscle relaxed after such a passionate interlude. As Jared succumbed to sleep, he said a silent prayer of gratitude for opening that door so long ago that led him to karate, the path that ultimately led him to Jensen.


End file.
